Taming The Darkness
by Allenator05
Summary: After a crazy few months, Shane's world has been turned upside-down. Promoted to second in command of Squad13, Shane bears the heavy burden of responsibility, a burden he isn't sure he can handle, plus an internal conflict threatens to send him down the slippery slope of madness. To make matters worse, a powerful enemy intends to destroy their world.
1. Where We Left Off

Night.

In the deep forrest.

Where the wild things are.

There are no clouds in the sky and the air is still. Suddenly, a large shadow jumps through the trees, followed by several smaller, faster shadows. The large shadow stops in a clearing. It is big and formidable. The cold air forms clouds of breath around the monster's head. Its two large eyes glow with fury. It stands up and turns to face the smaller shadows that have gathered behind it.

"Shinigami!" it hisses. The monster lunges and moonlight glitters on cold polished steel.

The Death Gods all attack the hollow. Their battle grows fierce. The hollow reaches out and knocks out one of the Death Gods. The others come to the aid of their fallen comrade.

"He'll be okay," one of them says. "Let's finish this quickly." The others gather around and face the hollow.

"Heh. Come at me all you want. I'll kill you and eat your souls!" the hollow roared.

"Uh, let's think about this for a second," the one says, apparently the leader of the group.

"Eh?" the hollow cocks its head in confusion.

"We're shinigami, which means we're already spirits. Since spirits have no physical body, how are you going to kill us and then eat our souls?" the leader asked. The hollow said nothing, but stared stupidly.

"Hey, Lieutenant, your argument doesn't make much sense either," one whispered. The leader shrugged and replied, "Well, it sounded good in my head."

"The Captain is expecting us back soon," another spoke up.

"Right! Now let's finish this for real!" the lieutenant said and something shiny appeared in his other hand.

"Oh! This is very interesting," the hollow rumbled. "I've never seen anything like this before."

The lieutenant said nothing and ran at the hollow. The hollow reached for the lieutenant, but he stepped to the inside and cut off the hollow's arm. The hollow reared back and howled in agony. The lieutenant swept the hollow's legs and the hollow fell on its back. The hollow tried to get up, but the lieutenant pierced the hollow through the mask, pinning its head to the ground. The hollow dissolved into a cloud of blue spirit particles.

"Okay everyone, let's gather up our injured friend and head back," the lieutenant ordered. As the others picked up the injured, the lieutenant stabbed the air with his sword and twisted. A door appeared and opened, revealing a bright light. Several black butterflies floated out. The others went through the gate first, leaving the lieutenant alone. He glanced up at the moon and smiled, then passed through the gate. The door shut behind him and disappeared, leaving no trace of their existence.

The young lieutenant knocked on the door. When a voice said to enter, he did so and shut the door behind him. Before him stood an older man with long white hair. He was very pale and seemed sickly, which he was. "So how did it go?" the Captain asked his Lieutenant.

"Well, it went very well. We were able to locate and dispatch the hollow quickly. Only one casualty and he should be out of the Relief Station soon," the Lieutenant reported.

"Very good," Captain Ukitake said. He turned and picked up some papers off his desk. "Do you still regret my decision?" he asked.

"Not really," the lieutenant replied.

"Well it seems you've made quite an impression on the rest of the squad, including the younger members," Captain Ukitake said.

Shane Akiyama sighed and cleaned his glasses on his robe. He'd been the lieutenant of Squad 13 for barely a month and things were rapidly changing for the better. Captain Ukitake handed him a piece of paper. Shane accepted the note and read it. "What's this all about?" he asked.

"I believe it has something to do with Aizen and the Hougyoku." Ukitake explained. "With a device such as the Hougyoku, Aizen could create an army capable of destroying Soul Society."

"Destroy Soul Society?" Shane asked in awe. "But why? What could he gain from that?"

"Before he was taken to Hueco Mundo, Aizen mentioned stepping up to take God's place in Heaven," Ukitake said.

Shane put his hand to his chin and thought. "Could it be?" he wondered outloud. Ukitake waited for Shane to clarify. "What are you thinking?" he asked.

"If the Hougyoku is as powerful as you say, then why stop at destroying Soul Society? Why not use the full power of the Hougyoku and attempt to overthrow the King?"

"What did you say?" Ukitake asked. "How do you know about that?"

Shane stepped back and his eyes went wide. "Oops. Was I not supposed to know about that?" he asked. Ukitake became stern and Shane sighed. "I was doing research on some random subject and I came across a document. Well, I did some digging," Ukitake crossed his arms. "Okay, a lot of digging and I learned of the King of Soul Society."

"What did you learn?" Ukitake asked.

"Nothing much, just the fact that he exists," Shane admitted.

Ukitake sighed. "I can't fault you for being curious. That's one of the reasons you are my Lieutenant. But next time you get the urge to do some 'research' come and ask me."

"I'll be leaving now," Shane said hurriedly and left.

Shane arrived in the Real World wearing his old SMC uniform. Since the nature of his mission was gathering information, he didn't want to be seen. As soon as he landed, Shane put his hands together and uttered, "Tsukuyomi New Moon Technique." He became like a shadow and lowered his Spirit Power output to near zero. He was now invisible.

Shane jumped from place to place, checking for things out of the ordinary. Just then, a bright light appeared in the sky and crashed to earth. Shane immediately felt a powerful, but unfamiliar spirit power. Just then, his phone rang.

"Akiyama, we've just received a report that Arrancar have been located. Please investigate," Ukitake said. "Be careful. The initial report suggests these Arrancar are very powerful."

"Will do sir," Shane replied and hung up. "That was a very intense Spirit Power," he thought. "Just how powerful are these Arrancar? Is this Aizen's doing?" Shane jumped off to find the source.

Shane came to a large field and saw a large crater in the center. He watched from a tree as people began to investigate. _It's not a meteor,_ Shane thought. He watched as a humanoid figure walked out of the crater and suddenly drew in a very deep breath. Shane heard the rushing of wind and people began falling over for no apparent reason. "He's sucking out their spirits!" Shane gasped. "He's certainly a type of powerful Hollow."

After a long time, the sucking stopped. Shane looked around and was saddened by all the innocent people who had lost their lives. "Curiosity killed the humans," he said sadly. He looked back to the crater and saw a second person appear and began talking to the other. Shane crept closer to investigate.

The taller one had tanned skin and was bald with two ridges on his head. A long pony tail was tied in the back and his sideburns ran down his face and met what looked like the lower jaw of a skull. His shirt was open in the front, revealing a large hole in his powerful chest. He also wore a sword at his side.

The other, shorter one was very pale and had green lines under his eyes that ran down his face. Half of his head was covered with black hair, the other half covered by a helmet-looking cover with one horn that stuck out the side. His long outer jacket was unzipped to his chest, revealing a hole in his neck. This one also wore a sword. The taller one was complaining about the quality of souls he'd just eaten to the smaller. _So, these are Arrancar,_ Shane thought. He decided to name them Big and Small.

"So, how many humans do we have to kill?" Big asked.

"Just one," Small replied. Shane frowned. _Does he mean Ichigo? Is Aizen that afraid of Ichigo's power or is he merely removing obstacles that might get in his way later?_

Shane noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and saw a dark haired girl wearing a karate gi trying to move. _What is Tatsuki doing here?_

Unfortunately, the Arrancar had noticed as well. Big moved to take care of Tatsuki. Shane frantically thought of what he should do. He'd never seen Tatsuki so petrified from fear before and made a note never to ask her about it.

Big began talking and mentioned his Soul Sucker didn't seem to work on Tatsuki. _So that's what he was doing,_ Shane thought and made a mental note.

Big seemed disappointed that Tatsuki wasn't the one they were looking for and brought his massive leg back to kick Tatsuki. Before Shane could act, Chad had jumped in the way and blocked Big's kick.

"Ulquiorra is this him?" Big called out. Shane frowned and made a note of that also. _Small's name is Ulquiorra._

Ulquiorra answered Big's question. Shane didn't catch all of the reply, but he heard the name "Yami." _Big's name is Yami._

Orihime grabbed Tatsuki and moved away. Chad went to attack Yami, but Yami knocked him aside with a sweep of his big arm. Shane cringed and figured Chad's arm was broken in several places. Shane hesitated. He wanted to show himself and help his friends, but his mission was to gather information. After another second of agonizing deliberation, Shane decided to stay hidden, figuring Ichigo would show up sooner or later. _Sooner, I hope._

Angry as he was for the careless disregard of human life and his friends, Shane maintained focus and carefully watched the two Arrancar and noted mannerisms and personality characteristics.

 _Yami is loud and somewhat dense, but very powerful. Retard strength perhaps? Ulquiorra is staying back, letting Yami do all the fighting. He seems quiet, very intelligent. He displays no emotion and his voice is always even. Seems very cold and detached. He must have been sent here to gather information and Yami is simply tagging along,_ Shane deduced.

Yami moved to attack Orihime and she used her special shield. Shane frowned. "Orihime's power is very different from Death Gods or Hollows. If she shows them too much, they might take an interest in her," Shane thought. Yami broke Orihime's shield and moved to attack her again, when Shane felt a familiar spirit power suddenly arrive.

"Ichigo!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Sorry I'm late," Ichigo apologized. "Please back up." Orihime backed away and Ichigo uttered, "Bankai."

Shane's eyes grew wide with the explosion of spirit power. _So Ichigo has achieved Bankai. Interesting._ He then frowned. _Ichigo's spirit power feels rough and chaotic. I thought with Bankai, one's spirit power would feel different. Is something wrong with Ichigo?_

Yami asked Ulquiorra if this was the one they were looking for and Ulquiorra indicated yes. _So they were after Ichigo,_ Shane thought and made another note. Ichigo began fighting with Yami and seemed to have the upper hand, even cutting off Yami's arm. Yami howled in protest and reached for his sword. Ulquiorra mentioned "using your Soul Slayer" and Shane arched an eye brow. _Arrancar have Soul Slayers? What are their abilities?_ But then, something happened. Ichigo stopped and clutched his face. His spirit power began to fluctuate wildly. "What's this?" Shane wondered. "Why is Ichigo's spirit power suddenly going crazy?" Yami took advantage of the situation and began beating Ichigo to a pulp. Shane's eyes narrowed and he fought to keep his anger in check. Orihime ran to help Ichigo, but Yami backhanded her and she went flying. Shane's anger spiked and Ulquiorra quickly glanced at the trees. "What was that faint spike of spirit power?" Ulquiorra wondered.

Shane fought to keep his anger under control. He could hear a small voice whispering in the back of his mind. **kill them hurt them they hurt your friends you must hurt them back angry cause them pain yes hurt them kill them...**

Shane closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. The small voice went away, but its suggestions lingered in Shane's mind.

Meanwhile, Yami had grabbed Ichigo by the head and flung him to the ground. He raised his remaining fist in the air, intending to crush Ichigo's skull. When the dust cleared, Ichigo was very much alive, thanks to the arrival of Urahara and Yoruichi. Shane decided to remain hidden and watch what happened. Yami tried to crush Urahara and Yoruichi, but they used flash steps to separate. Yoruichi then began to beat Yami. _She's so cool_ , Shane couldn't help but smile. With a final axe kick from ten feet above, Yami was knocked out. Yoruichi suddenly flinched and slowly walked to Orihime. _What was that about?_ Shane thought. Ulquiorra did nothing but watch.

Yami got up and opened his mouth. A ball of red energy appeared. "Cero?" Shane thought. There was a large explosion and before the dust cleared, Shane could still feel their sprit power. Urahara had saved them. He attacked Yami again with a sudden release of energy from his Soul Slayer. Before Yami could be harmed, Ulquiorra stepped in and easily deflected the blast skyward with his bare hand.

Ulquiorra backhanded Yami in the gut. Yami fell to the ground sputtering and saying something to Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra said something back that Shane didn't catch, and opened a portal back to Hueco Mundo. He and Yami stepped inside and the portal closed, leaving them standing there.


	2. Doubt

Shane sighed used flash steps to appear behind Urahara.

"Oh, what do we have here?" Urahara asked, turning around. Shane pulled back his mask to reveal his face.

"Nice to see you again," Urahara said.

"I wish it were under better circumstances," Shane admitted. Yoruichi smiled when she saw him. "I hope your hand to hand is better than last time," she said.

"Not to sound rude, but I think you should rest and recover after your fight here before we go for round two," Shane said. Yoruichi narrowed her eyes.

"You were here?" Ichigo called out. Shane frowned. "That's right," he said, dreading where this conversation was going.

"And you did nothing to help us?" Ichigo asked, his voice rising.

"It seemed to me that the situation was under control," Shane said evenly.

"Shut up!" Ichigo screamed. "How could you sit there in your little hiding place and watch?"

"And end up like you? No thanks," Shane retorted. "I've been called many things, but stupid isn't one of them. I saw what they did you, Chad, Orihime and Yoruichi. What makes you think I could have done any better?"

"But you didn't even try to do anything!" Ichigo shouted. Shane suddenly appeared behind Ichigo and gave him a quick blow to the base of the skull, knocking Ichigo unconscious.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Shane said sadly. Shane helped carry the injured back to Urahara's shop. Shane stepped outside and made a phone call. He told everything he had seen to Captain Ukitake and added his own observations and thoughts. "I think we could be in big trouble," Shane said, finishing his report.

Ukitake sighed. "Be on the look out for anymore Arrancar activity. We'll be sending you some reinforcements shortly."

"Who should I expect?" Shane asked.

"I would expect Rukia and Lieutenant Abari to join you in the Real World," Ukitake said. "Rukia has experience in the Real World, Renji is very reliable, and they both are familiar with Ichigo Kurosaki." Shane hung up and walked back inside. Tatsuki had been taken home and Chad, Orihime and Ichigo were in the back resting. Yoruichi's arm and leg were bandaged and she was eating everything she could get her hands on.

"Would it help if I went and got you some milk?" Shane asked jokingly.

"Oh, could you? That would be great!" Yoruichi said. Rather, tried to say. With her mouth full of food, it sounded more like "mmdmmmmghhghmhmhfgph!"

"Sorry, I don't speak the Mouth-Full-of-Food dialect," Shane said. He stepped outside for some fresh air and looked up at the moon. It was bright and full, no clouds in the sky with a light breeze. "A beautiful evening," Shane remarked. He took several deep breaths and went back inside.

"So what brings you back here?" Urahara asked.

"Well, the short answer is I was ordered here," Shane replied.

Urahara stared over the top of his fan. "And the long answer?"

Shane shrugged. "I'm not even sure I understand the long answer."

"Well, I'll settle for the medium answer then," Urahara said and sat down at the table next to Yoruichi. Shane joined them.

"Since Aizen left for Hueco Mundo, there are those in Soul Society who are content to just monitor him there. But there are also those, my captain included, who believe in taking a more pro active approach," Shane said. "It is likely that Aizen will use the Hougyoku to raise an army to destroy Soul Society. How he will do that, I'm not sure. But from what I saw today, it would appear that Aizen is using the power of the Hougyoku to artificially create Arrancar."

Urahara nodded in agreement. "Although it is possible for a Hollow to become an Arrancar though natural process, it takes a long time and the result is often less than desirable."

Shane put his hand to his chin and thought. Urahara noticed and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Something Aizen reportedly said when he was taken to Hueco Mundo," Shane said.

"You mean about stepping up to Heaven to take God's place?" Urahara replied. Shane smiled and said, "I'm not going to ask how you know that."

"The how is not important. What is important is what's going to be done now that Aizen has made the first move." Urahara said. "But I am a little surprised at the timing."

"What do you mean?" Shane asked.

"As it is now, the Hougyoku is in a weakened state. A Captain-level Death God might be able to raise the power level of the Hougyoku, but only briefly. Using this method, Aizen can't have created more than a handful of Arrancar," Urahara explained.

"You seem to know quite a bit about the Hougyoku," Shane said suspiciously.

"I would know, since I created it," Urahara said.

Shane was taken aback. "But why?"

"Why not?" Urahara said. He waved his hand to dismiss the thought. "Anyway, things have begun moving faster than anyone anticipated. I'm sure Soul Society thought they had more time to make preparations. It seems that we are all dancing to Aizen's tune."

Shane put his arms behind his head and was lost in thought. "How long will it take for everyone to heal from their injuries?" he asked while staring at the ceiling.

"I'll keep them here for the rest of this week. Ichigo can probably go home tomorrow," Urahara replied. Shane stood up and made his way to the door. "Leaving already?" Urahara asked.

"I'll be back," Shane replied. "I need to run a quick errand for someone."

"Two percent milk please! I'm trying to watch my figure!" Yoruichi called out. Shane waved and walked out the door. "He's something else, isn't he?" Yoruichi said with a smile.

"Yes he is," Urahara said, suddenly serious. Yoruichi scowled. "Why do you always have to ruin my good mood?" she pouted.

"If you like, you can fight him when he comes back," Urahara offered and Yoruichi grinned. "He's right. I had no idea Arrancar skin was that tough. The next time will be different," she said.

Shane returned from his errand and gave the milk to Yoruichi, then headed for the roof of the store. He leaned back and watched the stars for a while, then closed his eyes.

"Wake up," a voice said.

Shane opened his eyes and saw he was back in the endless field. Light and Dark Tsukuyomi were standing over him. Shane blinked and sat up. "I haven't been here in a while," he said.

"I'm surprised you even remember what this place is," Dark Tsukuyomi said.

"It has been a while," Shane admitted and stood up. "Why did you bring me here?"

"We brought you here to talk," Light Tsukuyomi said. "Since you became a Lieutenant, you feel slightly inferior to the others since you just received your position and are not as strong as they are. You still feel like and outsider, that you don't belong."

"Yeah, something like that," Shane admitted.

"Well, you got one thing going for you," Dark Tsukuyomi said.

"What's that?" Shane asked.

"You talk to us quite often," Dark Tsukuyomi said and grabbed Shane around the neck.

"Yeah, that's nice," Shane said and pushed Dark Tsukuyomi away.

"Why do you still doubt yourself?" Light Tsukuyomi asked.

"I never asked for this," Shane said. "Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be a Lieutenant. Now I have all this responsibility and people are looking up to me to make the right decisions. I don't know what to do! Having all this responsibility suddenly thrust upon me is like a giant weight is crushing me into the ground." Shane blew out a long breath and seemed to deflate a little.

"Hello, what's wrong with you?" Dark Tsukuyomi said and shook Shane. "Pull yourself together!" slapping Shane across the face with each word. "When did you become such a wuss?"

"Maybe I've always been this way," Shane thought.

"You are hopeless!" Dark Tsukuyomi roared and stepped back. Shane cast his gaze to Light Tsukuyomi, who said nothing.

"Well, if that's the way you feel, I'll be taking this," Dark Tsukuyomi said and pulled the sword off Shane's left side.

"Hey! What-" Shane protested, then noticed Light Tsukuyomi was also holding a sword.

"We have no time for one who drowns in his own sorrows and self pity," Light Tsukuyomi said. Both turned around and disappeared.

"Great," Shane mumbled. "I'm the only Death God in history to have his Soul Slayer taken away by his own Soul Slayer. I'm an idiot."

Shane woke up and sat upright. He was back in the Real World, sitting on top of the Urahara Shop. He looked down and saw two plain swords in his sash. It wasn't Tsukuyomi.

"I'm an idiot," he repeated softly.


	3. Instinct

When Shane woke again, the sun was high in the sky. He put his hands up to shield his eyes from the bright light and sat up. Down in the lot, Jinta and Ururu were sweeping. Rather, Ururu was sweeping and Jinta was waving his broom around like a baseball bat.

"Jinta, you'd better stop before Tessai finds out," Ururu said timidly.

"Who cares? He's off with the owner on an errand!" Jinta said excitedly and swung his broom around. _CRACK!_ The broom handle hit Tessai in the head and broke in half. Jinta's eyes went wide and he began to tremble in fear.

"Oh? You hit me on the head and you don't say you're sorry?" Tessai roared.

"AAHHHHHH!" Jinta screamed as Tessai scooped him up in his big arms and began to squeeze. Shane couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, nice to see you awake!" Urahara called up. "Come down, I have something for you."

Puzzled, Shane jumped down and followed Urahara into the shop. Just then, Shane's phone began to beep.

"Jeez, not now!" Shane exasperated and pulled out his phone. "I'll be right back," he told Urahara.

"By all means, go," Urahara said. As Shane disappeared out the door, Urahara became serious. "What will you do with no Soul Slayer?" he wondered.

Shane followed the tracker until he arrived at the waterfront. He looked around the old buildings and carefully looked around.

"The hollow is around here somewhere," Shane said. He reached for his Soul Slayer, then stopped. He pulled the swords out of his sash and stared at it.

"I guess this will have to do until I figure something out," Shane said. The wind picked up and blew an old news paper into the water. Shane watched it float by, then it stopped. Shane frowned and looked closer. Just then, the water exploded and Shane jumped back.

"Ha! I've got you now!" the hollow shouted. It had a long, serpentine body with many small legs, each with one claw. Its face was rather plain for a Hollow, but had two long mandibles near its mouth that constantly clacked together. It rushed at Shane, who jumped out of the way and slashed at the hollow.

"Hm? What was that?" the hollow asked. "Are you trying to tickle me to death?"

"I knew this wouldn't work," Shane growled and sheathed the sword. He landed a short distance away. "It can't be helped then," Shane decided. He used flash steps to get in close and began to beat the hollow.

"Ack! You are like a pesky fly to me!" the hollow said, rather annoyed. "Is this how you kill hollows? By boring them to death?"

Shane appeared under the hollow and quickly kicked out several of its legs. The hollow became unstable and fell over. Shane jumped into the air and held his hands out. "Way of Destruction No. 33," Shane called out and a ball of blue fire crashed down on the hollow with tremendous force.

Shane landed and waited for the dust to settle. Out of the dirt cloud, a long, wet tentacle shot out. Shane's eyes went wide as he ducked out of the way. The tentacle turned around and reached for Shane again. Shane jumped, ducked and rolled, playing keep away from the tentacle. He jumped in the air again, just ahead of the tentacle. Shane saw a flash of motion out of the corner of his eye. His mind barely registered the fact that there were now two tentacles, when the second sent Shane crashing to the ground.

Shane groaned and tried to get up, but before he could move, the tentacles wrapped him up so he couldn't move.

"Heh, you were harder to catch than the others I have eaten," the hollow said. "But now you will meet the same fate as them!" The dust cleared enough for Shane to see that the tentacles were coming from the hollow's mouth, where there were numerous other tentacles moving about.

Shane felt pinpricks all over his body and he began to feel numb. The saliva was also hardening around his body, slowly encasing him in a concrete-like substance.

 _So this is how the "great" Shane Akiyama goes out?_ he thought as he struggled to remain conscious, _punked by a hollow? I'm glad no one else is around to see this. Killed by a hollow, how embarrassing._ Another tentacle appeared and Shane's vision went black.

Somewhere, deep in the dark corners of Shane's mind, a light flickered.

 **kill**

_What's that?_

**kill it**

_Am I dead? It's so dark._

**kill**

_What's this feeling?_

**pain**

_What's in pain? Am I in pain? I don't feel anything..._

**hurt it kill it causes us pain yes kill it show it who's boss not the boss of us kill it dead hurts cause it pain yes suffering**

_I don't understand..._

The hollow pulled its tentacles back to reveal a mass of hardened saliva. It moved closer and opened its mouth to swallow its prey. Just then, the mass moved. The hollow stopped and peered closer. The lump moved again and a small crack appeared. The lump was now moving and thumping about and more cracks began to show. A small chunk fell and clattered away.

 **light go to the light hurt them light kill what put us in the dark**

Shane's hand shot out of the mass and latched on to one of the hollow's mandibles. The hollow reared back and howled in protest, pulling Shane the rest of the way out. Shane now stood in front of the hollow, its mandible in his grip.

kill it

 **kill it**

 **KILL IT NOW!**

With a wild look in his eyes, Shane raised his left hand and chopped off the hollow's mandible with one blow. The hollow roared in surprise and lunged at Shane, but Shane grabbed the other mandible and crushed it with one hand. The hollow leaned back and shot several tentacles at Shane, but he caught them all in his hands and pulled the hollow closer. When the hollow was at his feet, Shane braced his foot against the hollow's head and pulled, ripping the tentacles out of the hollow's mouth. The hollow cried in pain, spraying blue-black blood everywhere. The hollow closed its mouth, but Shane put his fist through the hollow's teeth, shattering them. He then began to pry open the mouth of the hollow, but the hollow resisted.

 **it tried to hurt us now kill it yes kill it make it suffer smash and grind**

 **DIE!**

With a mighty effort, Shane ripped the the hollow's bottom jaw clean off. Blood was pouring everywhere, making everything wet and slick. The hollow lay twitching on the ground. Shane raised his arm and put his fist though the middle of the hollow's mask as if it were paper. With its mask broken, the hollow dissolved into a shower of blue spirit particles.

 **killed it gone dead yes victory killed it smashed it hurt it...**

Shane shook his head and rapidly blinked his eyes. He looked around in amazement. "What happened?" he asked. He walked around and noted the damage from the battle. "I don't remember any of this." Shane felt a slight pressure in the back of his head. He reached up and rubbed the spot.

"Hmm. Weird. Perhaps I'll ask Urahara about it," he said and went back to the store.


	4. Consequences

Shane walked back to the store and went in side. Urahara waved him over to the table. Shane sat opposite Urahara and Yoruichi.

"So what do you have for me?" Shane asked. Urahara set a small box on the table and pushed it toward Shane. Shane gave Urahara a questioning glance and reached for the box. Before he opened it, Shane said, "I have a quick question for you Urahara,"

"Oh? What's that?" Urahara asked.

"Is it possible for a shinigami to loose their Soul Slayer? And I don't mean misplaced the sword, but for it to be taken away, loose their powers, that sort of thing," Shane asked.

Urahara waved his fan and said, "I'm not sure what you mean."

Shane blew out an exasperated breath. "Since a shinigami's Soul Slayer comes from the bond between the shinigami and the spirit of the Soul Slayer, is it possible for the sprit of the Soul Slayer to take away the Soul Slayer?" he asked.

"I don't see why not," Urahara said after a moment's thought.

Shane gave Urahara a stupid look. "That's not quite the answer I was looking for," he said. "Anyway, how do I get it back?"

"Oh? Why are you asking me?" Urahara asked. "I can't do anything to help you."

"So Tsukuyomi is gone forever?" Shane asked. A frozen ball of fear materialized in his gut, causing him to shiver. "Never have Tsukuyomi again?"

"That is up to you," Urahara said. "Getting your Soul Slayer back is entirely on you."

Shane stood up and left quietly. When he was gone, Urahara sighed. "Was that necessary?" Yoruichi asked.

"If he wants his Soul Slayer back, he needs to do some serious soul searching," Urahara said smiling and added, "No pun intended."

Shane didn't know where to go or what to do. HIs mind was reeling and he stumbled around town in a daze. _What do I do? Will I have to stop being a Death God? What will happen to me? What will the Captain say?_ Thoughts like these raced through Shane's mind. He felt a slight pressure in the back of his skull, like the beginnings of a headache. Shane's thoughts became jumbled together and he began to loose the ability to think and reason clearly.

 **not fair not fair to us lost hopeless don't know fear why confused why this happen don't know head hurts too much thinking...**

Shane's eyes glazed over and his pupils became dilated. He had regressed from higher brain functions and succumbed to acting on basic feelings and instinct.

 **no one sees us no one cares no one cares about us alone so alone sad why are we alone mad mad that no one cares getting angry want to smash feel better...**

Fortunately, a hollow chose that instant to appear. Shane's mind couldn't comprehend why he was supposed to kill the hollow, other than the fact that the hollow was in his way, and objects in the way must be eliminated.

"Eh? What's wrong with you, Death God?" the hollow asked, narrowing its eyes.

Shane didn't answer, but reached up and grabbed the hollow by its mask and effortlessly threw it to the ground. The hollow began to whimper as Shane towered over it.

 **kill it no use to us kill it weakling no match for us**

Shane lifted his foot and brought it down on the hollow's head, crushing it. Blood and ichor spattered on the ground as the hollow's body dissolved into blue spirit particles. Shane continued on his pointless journey.

Eventually, the sun started to sit lower and lower in the sky and night began to fall. Shane was standing atop the hill in the cemetery overlooking the city. In his simple state of mind, Shane didn't have words to describe what he was seeing, only emotions mixed with colors. The moon began to rise and Shane's fractured mind became at ease.

 **light good makes us calm light like this light not the other light too bright this light nice calm...peaceful...quiet...**

Shane blinked his eyes rapidly and his eyes came into focus. He scratched his head and looked around. "Where am I and how did I get here?" He tired to remember, but his memory was hazy. "Somehow, I remember feeling...annoyed? What's that all about?" He sat down and tried to think it out, but succeeded in making his head hurt. He sighed and lay back in the grass and looked at the stars.

"I like the night time," he thought out loud. "Everything is peaceful and quiet." He looked at the moon and suddenly became sad. "The moon reminds me of Tsukuyomi," he said. Shane closed his eyes and fell asleep.

In his dream, Shane was walking in darkness. He could see his body clearly, as if he were glowing, but nothing else. He looked around and called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?" Silence. He sighed and started to walking. Every so often he would stop and call out again, but received no answer. "I guess I'm alone," he said sadly. A small dot of light appeared and began to grow bigger. Shane had the sensation of traveling at high speed. There was a brief flash and Shane found himself standing in a vast plain covered in gray powder. The terrain was flat in all directions with small hills and peaks in the distance. The sky was black, but Shane could make out several points of light.

"Where am I? What is this place?" he asked himself. Everything faded away and Shane was surrounded by darkness again.

Shane sat up with a start. It took him a second to realize where he was. He sighed and rubbed his face. "Why am I having these weird dreams?" he asked. He lay back and was soon sleeping again.

This dream was different. He was in a dojo, sitting in one of the corners. The mat was well lit, but out side the ring was dark. He was wearing a regular white karate uniform and he was feeling impatient but didn't know why. Out of the darkness, a person appeared. Shane was shocked to find himself staring at...himself. Shane stood up and walked to the center to meet his clone. They bowed to each other and stepped back. After a brief pause, the Shane attacked. The clone easily sidestepped and twisted Shane's arm around in an arm lock. Shane grimaced as his arm was bent in a way it wasn't designed to bend. The clone steadily applied pressure and Shane could feel his shoulder beginning to strain. With a slight touch and a sickening pop, Shane's shoulder was dislocated. His vision exploded with white light and torrents of pain shot up Shane's arm and overloaded his brain. Shane tried to cry out, but the clone quickly shifted his hold and began to systematically break his wrist and elbow. His vision grew fuzzy and his mind numb with pain. The clone let him go and Shane's right arm hung useless by his side.

Shane was soaked with sweat and breathing heavily. He tried to stand up, but the slightest movement sent waves of pain shooting through his body. He looked at the clone of himself. The face was expressionless and the eyes were wide and unfocused, the pupils dilated to pinpricks. The clone reached out and grabbed Shane by the hair and gave Shane the worst beating of his life. Shane tried to beg for mercy, but his voice was drowned out by cries of agony. After a while, it was like having an out of body experience. Shane could see himself getting severely beaten, but he felt nothing.

Shane's body lay broken and bleeding at the clone Shane's feet. The clone stood over the body and grabbed Shane by the front of his shirt and pulled him close so their faces were inches apart. After a brief pause, the clone Shane said, " **instinct. desire. willpower. without these you are nothing. we are nothing.** "

"Wh-what are you?" Shane asked though a broken jaw and bleeding lips.

Clone Shane stared at Shane for a second, then replied, " **you.** " He dropped Shane to the mat, where Shane was finally embraced by unconsciousness.

Shane opened his eyes and sighed.


	5. The Gang's All Here

Several days later, Shane met Renji and Rukia at Urahara's shop.

"Hey guys," Shane said in greeting and was rewarded with a punch to the stomach from Rukia. "Idiot! Where have you been?" she asked angrily, then smiled.

Shane rubbed his middle and said, "Wow, I missed you too."

"Yo," Renji said with a wave. Shane finally got a good look at the others. He frowned and asked, "Renji, what are the rest of them doing here?"

Renji glanced to the others. "Well, Rukia is here because she has experience in the Real World and knows Ichigo. I came because I'm a pretty reliable guy."

"I figured you and Rukia would come, but them?" Shane asked.

"I invited my friend Ikkaku, since I figured we could use more muscle and Ikkaku wouldn't leave without Yumichika. Rangiku tagged along because didn't want to be left out, so therefore, Captain Hitsugaya had to come too." Renji explained.

Shane looked to the rest of them and shook his head. Ikkaku suddenly glared at Shane, as if remembering something. "I think I know you from somewhere," he said.

Yumichika looked Shane up and down and made a disgusted face. "Why would you want to remember someone like that?" he asked. Ikkaku suddenly pointed his Soul Slayer at Shane. "I know! You're the guy that took out all of 11th squad when Yumichika and I weren't there."

"Uh, yeah, that was me," Shane said and laughed nervously. Ikkaku stamped his feet in frustration. "How could you do that when I wasn't around! When we got back and found out what happened, I wanted so badly to fight whoever took out our squad mates so easily."

Captain Hitsugaya rolled his eyes. "Calm down Madarame. Let's not forget the reason why we are here."

Rukia looked out the window. "It's still morning. Ichigo will be at school by now."

"Okay everyone, gather together now," Urahara said, finally appearing. Everyone circled around Urahara. "You all are here to help the Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki and to act as a liaison between Soul Society and the Real World. Meet with Kurosaki and return here. If you decide on other arrangements, please let me know." Urahara looked grave. "I can't stress the importance of this enough. We know Aizen is up to something and more Arrancar could appear at any time. Be careful." With that, they all departed from the shop.

Shane hung back to talk to Rukia. "How long have you been waiting?"

"We arrived yesterday," Rukia said. "We were ready to go immediately, but Urahara insisted we wait for you." She frowned. "What were you doing, anyway?"

Shane thought for a moment and said, "You know, I'm not sure I know what happened."

Rukia smiled and said, "Oh, I have something to tell you,"

"What's up?" Shane asked.

"Normally, the Squad Lieutenants don't have any subordinates directly under them, but Captain Ukitake has assigned me to work under you," Rukia explained. Her brow furrowed and she stroked her chin. "I can't figure out why he would do something like that."

 _Probably has to do with a certain captain named Kuchiki,_ Shane thought, but said "I don't know either."

"Well, whatever happens, don't get any funny ideas," Rukia warned.

"Whatever could you mean?" Shane asked innocently. "I would never dream of insulting a woman of the great house of Kuchiki."

"Stop that!" Rukia said and playfully punched Shane on the arm. He smiled and they walked the rest of the way to the school in good spirits. Before they entered the school grounds, Captain Hitsugaya directed them to a discrete location.

"What are we doing in such a nasty place?" Yumichika asked, wrinkling his nose.

Captain Hitsugaya handed out faux bodies.

"I haven't done this in a while," Shane said, trying to loosen his body up.

"What are these clothes?" Rangiku Matsumoto asked. She curiously picked over the shirt and blouse.

"These are the school uniforms of Ichigo's school," Rukia explained. Shane saw a bit of hesitation in Rukia's eyes before she merged with her body. _I'd feel the same way if I were her,_ Shane thought.

"This shirt is too constricting," Rangiku complained and undid the buttons to half way down her shirt, barely containing her considerable bust. Shane blushed when he saw her. "Uh, Lieutenant Matsumoto, do you even know the meaning of the word 'modesty'?" he asked.

"What? What's wrong with the way I look?" Rangiku asked. "Besides, you're a lieutenant now and we're in the Real World, so call me Rangiku." she said and put her arm around Shane and drew him in close. Shane was petrified, afraid to move. Rukia couldn't help but laugh.

"That's enough Matsumoto," Hitsugaya warned. "We need to be on our best behavior so we can blend in with the humans."

Shane managed to escape Rangiku's grasp. "I'm gonna go on ahead, okay?" he said and took off.

Shane cautiously made his way through the school grounds and up to the classroom. Shane carefully peeked inside the door. Since Summer Break was over, some of the students were already wearing the winter uniform. He noticed Ichigo had some bandages on his head and had a far off look in his eyes. Shane gasped when he saw Orihime. Her head was bandaged and her arm was in a sling. He noticed Chad's seat was empty and Tatsuki was staring out the window. Shane picked his way through the room, taking care not to be seen by Ichigo or Orihime. He stopped in front of Tatsuki's desk and waited. Tatsuki seemed oblivious to everything except her own thoughts.

"Hey there," Shane said. When Tatsuki didn't respond, Shane made a fist and hit her on the head.

"What the-" Tatsuki roared and jumped to her feet. She blinked in surprise when Shane smiled at her.

"That's the Tatsuki I remember," Shane said quietly. Tatsuki noticed everyone staring at them.

"What are you all looking at!" Tatsuki shouted and everyone resumed their business. She then turned to Shane, glaring. "What's with you hitting me on the head?"

"I've been standing here for about five minutes and you didn't even see me," Shane said. Tatsuki decided to forgive him and smiled. "How long are you back for this time?" she asked.

"Oh, indefinitely," Shane replied. Looking into her eyes and reading her body language, Shane could tell she had something to talk about. "Why don't we meet up after school. They still have the Karate Club, right?" he asked.

"Sure. I'll meet you there," Tatsuki said.

Before Shane could say anything else, the door flew open, revealing five strangers. As they walked in, people started whispering.

"Whoa, who's the bald guy?"

"That kid looks like he should be in elementary school."

"Who's the beautiful girl?"

"What's with that guy's weird hair?"

Ichigo took notice and his eyes went wide with surprise. "Wh-what are you all doing here?" he asked. Shane immediately noticed Rukia wasn't with them.

Tatsuki leaned over and whispered, "Do you know these strange people?" Shane sighed and thought of the best way to explain. "Uh, yeah. I know them from America. When I told them about my experiences here, they all enrolled in the same exchange student program as me," he said. Tatsuki gave him a blank look that said she didn't believe him. Shane sighed and said, "Karate Club, after school okay?" Tatsuki nodded.


	6. An Explanation Is Warranted

The final bell rang and Shane made his way to the locker room and changed into the karate uniform. He rubbed his hands vigorously through his hair and sighed, then shut the locker door.

Tatsuki was waiting for him out on the floor. They spent several minutes stretching out and warming up. Tatsuki and Shane stood several feet apart and stared each other down. Tatsuki was grinning from ear to ear and couldn't hold her excitement. "I've been looking forward to this for a while," she said.

"You want to fight me that badly?" Shane asked a little surprised.

"You're the only one who can give me a real challenge. Ever since you left, I've been bored with these punks," Tatsuki said, pointing to the others. Shane glanced around and shivered from all the death stares he was getting.

"Well, come on then and let's get started," Shane said reluctantly. They circled around, each looking for an opening. Then Tatsuki attacked. Shane did his best, but he was distracted and his heart wasn't in it and it showed. Tatsuki frowned and stopped. "What's the matter with you?" she asked.

"What?" Shane asked.

"You. Your stance is terrible, your offense sucks, and you're full of openings. If you didn't want to fight me, then say so. Don't insult me with such a poor performance. It's like fighting Ichigo or something," Tatsuki said crossly.

"I'm sorry. I've been distracted lately," Shane apologized. Tatsuki turned her back. "I'm done. Come back when you've found your will to fight."

Shane stopped. "My will to fight?" he asked himself.

"Hey Tatsuki, your friend sucks!" someone called out. Before Tatsuki could open her mouth to reply, Shane flew across the room and threw the heckler to the ground. He began to apply steady pressure to shoulder joint, causing the guy to wail in agony.

"You're lucky I'm such a nice guy," Shane hissed in the guy's ear.

"What's wrong with you?" Tatsuki roared and pulled Shane off his victim. Shane pushed Tatsuki's hands away and brushed himself off. Tatsuki put her hands on her hips and glared.

"Sorry, I don't know what came over me," Shane apologized. Tatsuki rolled her eyes and stormed off. Shane ran after her and caught her arm. Tatsuki whirled around in surprise.

"Hey, meet me out side. There's something I want to talk to you about," Shane said. At first, Tatsuki was going to blow him off, but his eyes were soft and sincere. "Okay, but no funny business," she warned. Shane released his hold on her arm and Tatsuki went to the girl's locker room.

Shane waited impatiently outside for Tatsuki to show up. He paced back and forth, rubbing his hands nervously. "So, what are you going to tell her?" he asked.

"Tell me what?" Tatsuki asked. Shane whirled around and saw Tatsuki, hands on her hips and a questioning look on her face. Shane gulped.

"Well? It seems like you have something important to tell me," Tatsuki said. Shane started walking and motioned for Tatsuki to follow. They walked for a while in silence. Shane stole a glance at Tatsuki and he could tell she was starting to get annoyed. He sat down on a park bench and Tatsuki sat next to him.

 _How to say this?_ "Your whole life, it seems that things have been going the way you want," Shane started. "But lately, things have been happening that you can't explain." Tatsuki said nothing, but stared intently. Shane continued. "At first, you thought you were seeing things. Maybe a flash out of the corner of your eye or something like that. Soon, you could see everything as clear as day."

"What are you talking about?" Tatsuki asked, her voice shaking slightly.

"Looking back, there was that one incident, that one moment in time that everything changed," Shane said. "A few months ago, you were visiting Orihime and that night, something happened that you weren't sure even happened." Tatsuki's eyes went wide and she sat back.

"You have a memory of that night, but you aren't sure if that is what really happened," Shane said. "That is the night everything changed."

"How do you know all this?" Tatsuki asked. Shane put up a finger and he continued. "But that's not all. Then you started seeing familiar people running around in strange clothes. And you even encountered... **them**."

"Shane, you are making me nervous," Tatsuki said. She started to rise but Shane gently pushed her back down. "I haven't been honest with you," he said.

"I'll say," Tatsuki said.

 _Oh boy,_ Shane thought. His hands were trembling and his heart rate was picking up. "I think it's best if I just show you," Shane said. He stood in front of Tatsuki and swallowed a piece of Soul Candy. There was a bright flash and _POOF._

Tatsuki gasped and she recoiled in her seat. Shane was standing in front of her wearing black robes and a white sash around his waist. But laying on the ground was...Shane?

"What is the meaning of this?" Tatsuki asked, rising to her feet.

"I am a _shinigami,_ a Death God, a spirit," Shane said.

"So you're dead?" Tatsuki asked. Shane thought for a second and nodded his head. "Well, yeah."

The color drained from Tatsuki's face and she sagged back to the bench. Shane reached out to help her, but she pushed him away.

"If you're a spirit of death, are you here to, you know," Tatsuki asked and made a slashing motion across her neck.

"We Death Gods don't kill people," Shane explained. "We search for the spirits of those who have already died and send them to Soul Society." Just then, Shane's phone started beeping. He glanced at it and looked around. "Come with me," Shane said, offering his hand. Tatsuki stared at him.

"I want to show you what it is we do," Shane explained. Before Tatsuki could protest, Shane grabbed her by the hand and ran off in the direction of the signal.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" Tatsuki shouted. Shane was too busy to notice Tatsuki was blushing. _Is he crazy?_ she asked herself. _I have no idea what is happening anymore. How does he know what I've been going through?_

Shane dragged Tatsuki through the mostly empty streets. He turned into a dark alley and stopped. Tatsuki looked around nervously and blushed. "I thought I said no funny business," she warned. Without replying, Shane grabbed Tatsuki in his arms and jumped up to the roof of the building. Tatsuki struggled out of Shane's grasp and roughly pushed him away. "What was that all about?

Shane turned his back to Tatsuki, seemingly ignoring her. She crossed her arms and frowned. "This had better be good or you're gonna get it later,"

Just then, there were heavy footsteps. A shadow fell across Tatsuki and her eyes went wide. Her pulse began to quicken and her breath grew shallow. She slowly turned her head and gasped. A giant monster towered over her and Shane.

"What are you doing?" Tatsuki screamed. The Hollow roared, but Shane didn't even flinch. "This, is what we do," Shane said evenly. The hollow raised its fist and brought it down to smash Shane. At the last second, Shane flash stepped away. To Tatsuki, it looked as if he had disappeared. _How did he do that?_ she thought.

Shane reappeared and the hollow tried to smash him again. Tatsuki watched in awe as Shane stayed one step ahead of certain death. Shane finally stopped in front of the hollow. The hollow tried to punch again, but instead of moving away, Shane merely moved to the side and use the hollow's forward momentum to put it in an arm lock. A sudden thought crossed Tatsuki's mind. _I've seen him use that move before!_

The hollow roared in pain and Shane steadily applied pressure until the shoulder was about to break. "Way of Binding No. 1," Shane called out. The hollow's other arm became twisted and contorted also. Off balance, the hollow fell on its face with a crash. Tatsuki put her hand up to keep dirt and debris from getting in her eyes. Through squinted eyes, Tatsuki watched Shane approach the hollow and break its skull mask with a powerful open palm strike.

"Come here Tatsuki," Shane said. Tatsuki warily walked forward until she was at Shane's side. Tatsuki was about to ask a question but Shane pointed to the hollow. Tatsuki watched as the hollow's mask broke apart, revealing the face of a middle aged man. Tatsuki gasped with horror as the hollow dissolved into blue sprit particles.

"Hollows aren't monsters, just human souls that have lost their hearts," Shane explained. "Our job as Death Gods are to send souls to Soul Society and to purify hollows so they can be sent to Soul Society also."

Tatsuki said nothing and slowly stumbled away. She tripped and Shane reached out to catch her. "Get away from me!" Tatsuki screamed and pushed Shane away. Tatsuki stumbled and tripped to the edge of the roof. Her body began to convulse and Shane looked away as Tatsuki vomited over the side. After a while, Tatsuki stopped retching and Shane hung his head in shame.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I never should have put you through that." Shane stared off into the sky and sighed. "I'm a fool for thinking something like this could work." He turned back to Tatsuki, who was still leaning over the edge of the building. "I'll understand if you never want to see me again. If I were you, I'd want to beat me three ways from Saturday also." He walked to the edge a short distance from Tatsuki and jumped down and disappeared. Tatsuki watched him leave.

"Idiot," Tatsuki sobbed, "How am I supposed to get down from here?"


	7. Team Meeting

Shane merged back with his faux body and sat dejected on the sidewalk. He watched the ants on the sidewalk while his mind wandered aimlessly. His pocket began to vibrate, so he pulled out his phone. "Hello?"

"Shane, this is Rukia. Meet us at Ichigo's house as soon as possible," Rukia said.

"I'll be right there," Shane replied and hung up the phone.

Several minutes later, Ichigo was standing outside the Kurosaki Clinic. He heard a loud crash coming from Ichigo's room, so Shane made his way up to the window and poked his head in. Toshiro, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji and Rangiku had somehow fallen through the ceiling of Ichigo's room and Renji and Rukia were explaining Arrancar to Ichigo. Shane sat in the window and said nothing. Captain Hitsugaya went on to explain the different classes of Menos Grande: Gillian, Adjucas, and Vasto Lorde. Gillian were the lowest and Vasto Lorde were the most powerful.

"A single Vasto Lorde could easily take on a Captain-class shinigami." Hitsugaya explained. "If Aizen were to create Arrancar from as few as ten Vasto Lorde," he paused for dramatic effect, "He could destroy Soul Society."

Shane yawned and became bored with everything. "Is there something you'd like to add, Lieutenant Akiyama?" Hitsugaya asked crossly.

"Hm?" Shane asked and looked around at all the faces staring at him. After a moment's thought he said, "Nah, I think you covered it all." Shane noticed Ichigo was staring at him. "What?" Shane asked.

"You? A Lieutenant?" Ichigo asked incredulously.

"So?" Shane shrugged and Ichigo burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Shane asked frowning.

"Soul Society must really be hurting if they made someone like you a Lieutenant," Ichigo laughed. He grabbed his sides and hooted. Shane stared at Ichigo for a several heartbeats, then knocked the injured Ichigo across the room as hard as he could. Ichigo impacted the far wall and fell into a heap.

"Idiot! What is wrong with you?" Rukia shouted. Ichigo shook his head to clear the cobwebs and immediately got in Shane's face. "What did you do that for?" he growled.

"I dunno. I just felt like it," Shane said. Ichigo's face twisted and contorted in fury. Shane drew back and knocked Ichigo across the room again. This time, the entire room was in an uproar. Ichigo jumped to his feet and grabbed Shane by the shirt. "Why you-"

"Your breath stinks," Shane interrupted. Everyone instantly became quiet and Ichigo's mouth open and closed, but no sound came out. Shane reached up and gently shut Ichigo's mouth. "Now you look like a fish out of water," he said.

"WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?!" Isshin Kurosaki roared and threw the door open. "What's with all the shouting? The neighbors might call the police!" Isshin then noticed all the people in Ichigo's room. He blinked several times.

"Geez," Ichigo sighed and hit himself in the head.

"Ichigo! What's this? Have you invited your classmates over for a group study?" Isshin asked. He then glanced carefully at Rukia and Rangiku. "A co-ed study group?" He stroked his stubbly chin and frowned. "Hmm, a co-ed study group that dear old father didn't know about?" Isshin became wildly animated. "Oh, darling wife! What is our teenaged son doing? How could something like this happen?"

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" Ichigo shouted and kicked his father out the door. Shane heard him fall down the stairs and the house shuddered as Isshin hit the bottom. "Don't ever come in my room!" Ichigo shouted and slammed the door, causing the windows to rattle. Ichigo slumped down on the bed and glared daggers at no one in particular.

"Well, this has been fun, but I'm gonna go now," Shane said and hopped out the window. He landed on the sidewalk and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He looked left, then right, then left again. Shane looked down at his feet, then glanced up at the sky. He lifted his right leg and turned as if he was going right. At the last second, Shane thought better of it, and turned around and started walking to the left. Rukia and Rangiku watched from Ichigo's window.

"What was that all about?" Rangiku asked.

"It seems that he has lost his direction," Rukia said.

"Oh? How so? He had two choices, right or left and ultimately, he went left," Rangiku said, pushing her long hair out of her face. Rukia didn't bother trying to explain.

Shane wandered around town, feeling lost. He didn't care where he went. Soon he found himself in an old, rundown part of town. There were many old, rusty buildings that had seen better days. He opened the door to an old warehouse. The rusted hinges resisted at first, but with a little effort, Shane opened the door far enough to get inside. There were stairs leading up to the next level, so Shane traveled up. He passed many old, rotted crates. Some were covered with canvas tarps that had grown moldy. The place stank horribly, but Shane didn't care. Shane went up another ladder and discovered a trap door to the roof. He climbed out on to the roof and sat down near the edge.

Suddenly, Shane felt an enormous surge of spirit power. He frowned and looked closely at the night sky. "This spirit energy is similar to those two Arrancar that showed up a few days ago," Shane thought. He shrugged. "Well, it only feels like five or six, so the others should be able to deal with it." For some reason, that thought seemed funny to Shane. At the same time, Shane felt another surge of spirt power close by. He heard footsteps approach.

"Are you a shinigami?" a strange voice asked.

Shane didn't bother to turn around. "Depends who's askin'," he replied. "Are you one of those Arrancar-types?"

"Depends who's asking," the arrancar replied. The arrancar stepped forward and stood next to Shane, who still hadn't acknowledged his presence.

"It seems that the others have started fighting," the arrancar said. Shane shrugged. "So?"

"Aren't you going to fight me?" the arrancar asked.

"No," Shane replied casually and ran his hand through his hair. "Why not?" the arrancar asked. "Isn't that the purpose of a shinigami?"

"Well, I really don't feel like fighting you right now," Shane replied. "If you came here to fight, I suggest you either come back another time, or find someone else to fight."

The arrancar sat next to Shane. "You are the strangest shinigami I have ever come across," he said. The arrancar looked out at the view and they sat in silence. Shane could feel the fluctuations in spirit power and he glanced in that general direction.

"Are you worried about your comrades?" the arrancar asked.

"Not really," Shane said. "They're all pretty strong and can handle themselves."

The arrancar nodded his head in agreement. "Ah. That may be so, but none of your shinigami friends has ever fought an arrancar before." The arrancar's voice became serious. "One of the Espada is here."

Shane's ears perked up, but he didn't let it show. "What's an Espada? Is that French for 'Uber-Super-Cool-All-Powerfull Arrancar?" Shane asked. The arrancar smiled. "You won't be getting such information from me that easily," he said. Shane shrugged. "It was worth a try." Silence again enveloped the two mortal enemies. Shane felt a slight burning sensation on the left side of his chest. The arrancar felt it too. "What's this? A last ditch effort?"

"Something like that," Shane replied and rubbed the spot. The arrancar suddenly stood up. "I must be going now. I look forward to our next meeting."

"You got a name?" Shane asked. The arrancar laughed. "Only if you fight me, will I tell you my name."

"Fair enough," Shane replied and the arrancar left. After he was gone, Shane stood up and brushed his hands on his pants. "Well, time to go see what happened," he said and jumped to the ground.


	8. What We Learned

As Shane was about to enter the Urahara Shop, the door was thrown open and Shane was dragged inside by his shirt. He yelped in surprise and stumbled across the floor as he regained his balance. "Care to explain yourself, Akiyama?" Captain Hitsugaya asked crossly. Shane glanced up and saw the short captain glaring at him, arms crossed. He had several bandages across his face.

"Explain what?" Shane asked, dusting himself off and sitting down at the table across from the captain. Rangiku and Urahara were hovering close by.

"Explain how after several Arrancar appear, you are unscathed," Hitsugaya said. "Did you win so easily?"

"I don't see what the big deal is. From what I can tell, Rukia won her fight pretty easily and I'll bet Yumichika didn't get one hair out of place," Shane said.

"Did you even encounter an Arrancar?" Urahara asked.

"Yes," Shane replied.

"Did you fight?" Hitsugaya asked.

"No," Shane replied casually. Hitsugaya was taken aback and Urahara spread his fan to hide his face. "What do you mean, no?" Hitusgaya asked.

"No. Do you want me to spell it for you? N-O." Shane shot back.

"Why didn't you fight?" Urahara asked calmly. Shane shrugged. "I didn't feel like it."

"You didn't feel like fighting?!" Hitsugaya roared. "What kind of answer is that?"

"You questioning my reasons?" Shane said angrily. "Look at you! You're a Captain, yet you look like you got his by a bus! Rukia was impaled on someone's arm! Do you even know how stupid that sounds? Why should I fight someone I have no chance at beating?"

"Watch your tone," Hitsugaya threatened.

"Or what? You'll write me up? Oh I can see how that would go," Shane said sarcastically, and began reading from an invisible paper. "Lieutenant Akiyama, you are here by tossed in jail on the charge of 'Angrily Venting Frustration in a Loud Voice to a Superior Officer.' Bail is set at one hundred billion dollars."

"I don't know what Ukitake sees in you," Hitsugaya muttered.

"Join the club," Shane replied. After a long, tension filled silence, Urahara cleared his throat. "Did the Arrancar say anything?" he asked.

"He mentioned that one of the Espada had shown up," Shane replied.

"What's an Espada?" Rangiku asked. Shane had forgotten she was there and noticed she looked about the same as her captian.

"I guess an Espada is one of Aizen's most powerful Arrancar," Shane said. "Just how many of these Espada there are is anyone's guess. I'd put the number of Espada between five and ten."

"So what was the reason for their appearance tonight?" Urahara asked.

Shane thought for a minute and said, "I can think of one or two reasons. First, to gather intel. I find this chance very remote."

"Why?" Urahara asked.

"Isn't that the reason why those other two were here in the first place? Think about this. The short one didn't fight. He just stood there and watched what happened. He struck me as very calm and emotionless, exactly the type of person you'd want to make a detailed observation. Those Arrancar tonight went out of their way to target those with high spiritural auras, which brings me to my second reason. They were here looking to fight."

"I hate to say it, but I agree with you," Hitsugaya said. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Shane. _This one's not as dumb as he seems sometimes._ "Why would Aizen send some of his precious Arrancar to the Real World, just to start a fight? That doesn't sound like something Aizen would do," Hitsugaya said.

Shane shrugged. "Perhaps all is not well in the world of Hollows," he allowed. Urahara stared intently. "Please explain."

Shane cleared his throat. "Before I say anything, this is just a hunch and I have no way of backing this up with proof." Urahara nodded and Hitsugaya motioned for him to continue. "Let's say that those first two Arrancar, Ulquiorra and Yami, were sent here to gather information. They fought with Ichigo, Urahara and Yoruichi."

"We already know this," Hitsugaya said impatiently.

"However, Ulquiorra kept saying they were looking for one specific person," Shane continued. "I figured this person was Ichigo."

"Why him?" Rangiku asked, startling Shane. She'd been so quiet, Shane forgot she was there.

"Probably to gauge how strong Ichigo had become," Shane said. "Aizen's plan is to overthrow Soul Society, which he could probably do. However, the one wild card that Soul Society has is one powerful Substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki." Urahara nodded in agreement.

"Evidently, Ulquiorra deemed Ichigo was no threat to Aizen. Why, I don't know. So then Ulquiorra goes back and reports this back to Aizen." Shane said.

"You still haven't given us a reason for tonight," Hitsugaya said crossly.

"Keep your pants on. I'm getting there," Shane said with annoyance. "So then it would seem that there is a small faction in Aizen's group that is unhappy with Ulquiorra's analysis. They decide that anyone with any amount of spiritual power should be eliminated, hence what happened here tonight."

"Bravo," Urahara said, clapping his hands. Hitsugaya was unimpressed.

"Well, like I said, all this is merely speculation on my part," Shane said sheepishly.

"Wow! I never knew you were this smart!" Rangiku said and wrapped her arms around Shane's neck, causing him to blush. "I guess these really do make you smarter!" she added, poking at his glasses.

"Enough, Matsumoto," Hitsugaya said. "You should head back to Orihime's house. No telling what might happen next." Hitsugaya got up and left with his lieutenant.

Shane felt something soft rubbing his leg. He looked down and saw a black cat with large, gold eyes rubbing its head on Shane's knee. He picked the cat up and began to pet it. The cat purred with approval. Urahara watched with mild interest from behind his fan. "So what are you going to do now?" he asked.

Shane shrugged. "I don't know. I'm willing to bet we'll have a bit of down time for a while, until the Arrancar come back."

"So you really didn't fight because you felt you couldn't win?" Urahara asked.

Shane stared off into space and thought for a while. "Yeah, that's right," he finally said.

"What are you going to do about this?" Urahara asked.

"I imagine everyone else will undergo training to improve their skills. They'd have to if they want to survive against the Arrancar," Shane said. Urahara said nothing and fanned his face. Shane looked at the clock and stood up. "It's getting late and I'd hate to keep you from your business, since you seem to be so busy," Shane said. He offered a short bow and left. Urahara and the cat watched him leave. "Any thoughts?" Urahara asked.

"Glasses aside, he really is a smart kid," Yoruichi said. "I'm impressed he came up with all that on his own."

"Well, I'm sure he's got most of it right," Urahara said. After a moment's thought, he said, "You seem to really like him. I don't think I've ever seen you this friendly."

"I think he's got potential if he can straighten himself out," was all Yoruichi said.

Shane sat on top of the hill that overlooked the cemetery and Karakura Town. He closed his eyes and felt two slender arms slide loosely around his neck. He couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad you're here," he said.

"Me too!" Olivia replied cheerily. "It's not often I get the chance to come to the Real World."

"So why are you here?" Shane asked.

"It was decided that Captain Hitsugaya's Expeditionary Squad could use some medical relief, so here I am!" Olivia explained. "Sorry I didn't arrive sooner though. I hear it was pretty tough."

"Well, that depends who you talk to," Shane replied. He grew silent and Olivia became concerned. "Did you meet one of those Arrancar?" she whispered. Shane nodded his head. "We didn't fight though."

"Why not?" Olivia asked and Shane rolled his eyes. "Sorry, but I already went through this once tonight, and I don't really want to explain it again," he said.

Olivia stepped back and looked Shane over. "You seem tense, on edge. Is something wrong?" she asked and began to gently massage Shane's shoulders.

"I haven't been feeling quite right," he confessed. He closed his eyes and relaxed, letting Olivia's experienced hands do their work.

"Wanna talk about it?" Olivia asked softly. Shane sighed and began to open up. At first, he was hesitant, but Olivia coaxed him on, and soon, Shane spilled everything.

"Wow," Olivia said when Shane was finished. "I've heard of this type of thing, but it's very rare." Shane lay back and rested his head in Olivia's lap. "So what's the diagnosis, Doctor?" he asked.

Olivia frowned and put her finger to her lips. "How to explain this?" she thought. "Well, a shinigami and their Soul Slayer share a bond, a connection. When one looses confidence in the other or the bond is broken, the shinigami effectively looses their Soul Slayer and the ability to effectively be a Death God."

"So Tsukuyomi has lost confidence in me?" Shane asked. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Sometimes, the rift between a shinigami and their Soul Slayer is so great, the shinigami looses all their powers, effectively becoming a normal human soul," Olivia warned. Her face brightened as she added, "But I don't think you're that far along yet."

"Do you think there is something different about you, me and Akuma?" Shane asked suddenly.

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked.

"All the hollows I've ever come across all say that I 'smell' different than other shinigami. During our fight, Akuma mentioned that there was something different about us," Shane said.

"Different how?" Olivia asked. Shane shrugged. "I don't know, just different." He suddenly sat up. "Do you remember those girls I told you about?"

"Yeah, why?" Olivia asked smiling. Shane grinned. "Wanna meet them?"


	9. Dinner Party Shenanigans

The next day at school, Shane was slightly on edge. He noticed that Ichigo, Orihime, Chad and Ishida hadn't shown up at school. Shane figured they were off training to get stronger. When the final bell rang to end the day, Shane sat in his seat and waited nervously. He glanced across the room at Tatsuki, who was putting her books away.

 _Come on man, this is probably the easiest thing you'll ever do,_ Shane thought. _Yeah right. I haven't seen to her since that night and she probably never wants to talk to me again._ Tatsuki stood up to leave and Shane tried to call out, but the words caught in his throat. He stumbled out of his seat. "Wait Tatsuki!" he called out, but she had just left the room. Shane sighed and stood there in the classroom, feeling dejected. The door slid open and Shane glanced up to see Tatsuki enter the room. She noticed him and stopped. "What do you want?" she asked angrily.

Although he expected it, Shane was still slightly put off by her hostility. "I was going to ask if you wanted to come over on Sunday for dinner and meet my friend, but since you're still mad at me, I figured it would be a waste of your time," he said.

Tatsuki said nothing and walked back to her desk. She rummaged through some papers and when she found what she was looking for, she shut the desk. Tatsuki stared at the paper, completely ignoring Shane. "Are you trying to kiss and make up?" she asked sternly.

"Who said anything about kissing?" Shane asked in shock.

"What? Nothing! It's just an expression," Tatsuki stammered, her cheeks turning pink.

"Do you want me to kiss you?" Shane grinned evilly. He puckered his lips and chased Tatsuki around the room, making wet kissing sounds.

"Stop!" Tatsuki cried and began attacking Shane. He dodged her attacks and continued trying to kiss her. "Enough!" Tatsuki roared and picked up a chair. Shane's eyes grew wide and his face fell. "You wouldn't," he whispered.

"Try me," Tatsuki hissed. Shane slowly puckered his lips again and raised his hands to grab Tatsuki, who raised the chair higher over her head. The stalemate lasted for several tense moments, then Shane lunged forward. Tatsuki screamed and swung the chair as hard as she could. Shane saw stars and the world went topsy turvy, before going black.

"I'm really sorry. He doesn't normally act like this," Olivia said.

"Humph. He's just lucky, that's all," Tatsuki replied.

Shane opened his eyes and noticed the world was fuzzy. He shook his head to get his eyes to focus and was rewarded with a jolt of pain. Shane groaned and rubbed his head.

"I see our patient is finally awake," Olivia said, moving into Shane's view. He glanced around and saw he was in an unfamiliar room. "Where am I?" he asked.

"This is the school infirmary," Olivia said. "When you didn't show up after school, I went to investigate. I found Tatsuki beating the stuffing out of you with a chair."

Shane looked past Olivia and noticed Tatsuki nearby. When she saw him look her direction, Tatsuki crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

"She really was worried about you," Olivia whispered.

"I was not!" Tatsuki said loudly.

"Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?" Olivia chided. Tatsuki whirled around and glared at the two of them. "Fine! I accept your offer!" she said and pointed an angry finger at Olivia. "But only because she talked me into it." Tatsuki stormed out and slammed the door behind her. Shane winced at the sound.

"You really have a way with the ladies," Olivia teased and mussed Shane's hair.

Tatsuki stared at the piece of paper in her hand and frowned. She turned it around several times and even flipped it over. "That idiot gave me these silly directions and now I'm lost," Tatsuki said dejectedly. She remembered what Shane had told her yesterday.

" _My house is a little out of the way, but if you follow these directions, I'm sure you'll make it," Shane said._

 _Tatsuki stared at the paper. "I can't read this," she said._

 _"What do you mean?" Shane asked and snatched the paper away. "These directions are clearly labeled and drawn to perfection." He handed the paper back to Tatsuki. "Now, start here at the school. Make this left here and walk until you don't see anything you recognize. If you see a fish market, keep walking until you find a dead tree next to the road. If you find yourself at the pachinko parlor, you went too far and you have to backtrack. Anyway, at the dead tree, there is a fork in the road. Literally. A fork in the road."_

 _"What?" Tatsuki asked, clearly confused._

 _"Don't worry about it," Shane assured her. "It makes sense when you see it. Anyway, when you come to the fork, go left and walk three blocks until you come to The Ramen Bar. Take a right at the next corner, and presto! My house."_

Tatsuki was now hopelessly lost in an unfamiliar downtown district. The crowds of people pressed in tightly, moving with a sense of purpose. The area seemed older and a bit run down, but had a familiar atmosphere. Despite being lost, Tatsuki was certain she wouldn't get into trouble. She stopped at a store and asked the elderly lady for help. She smiled and pointed Tatsuki in the right direction. Tatsuki followed the street and noticed the noise and hustle and bustle began to fade and she was in a quiet neighborhood. All the housing buildings were packed tightly together, making Tatsuki feel slightly claustrophobic. She checked her paper and came to house number 715. Tatsuki rang the door buzzer. When there was no reply, Tatsuki looked closer and noticed the door was cracked open. She knocked lightly and pushed open the door.

Shane looked up from where he was sitting and saw Tatsuki. "Hi. Come on in," he said. "You're a little early."

"No one else is here yet?" she asked and looked around the room. Shane's house was very tiny. Tatsuki cold spread her arms out and almost touch both walls. In the center was a small table with cushions around it. But what surprised Tatsuki the most were the stacks and stacks of manga collections scattered around the room. What space that was left was occupied by bowls of cup noodle, some empty, some unopened.

"What is this?" Tatsuki asked incredulously.

"What? Is something wrong?" Shane asked, looking around the room. Tatsuki went around the room looking at the manga books. Some she recognized, some she didn't. "Have you read all these?" she asked, waving her hand around the room.

"Well, most of them," Shane admitted. He waved for Tatsuki to sit down. "Is this all you do in your free time?" Tatsuki asked, "Eat cup noodle and read manga?"

"Not always," Shane said. "There's a really good ramen bar just down the block that I like." Tatsuki rolled her eyes. Shane put down the book he was reading and stood up. "Would you like something to drink?" he asked.

"Water is fine," Tatsuki answered. As Shane went to the kitchen, Tatsuki looked around the tiny apartment. Upon a closer look, Tatsuki saw the house was very clean and well kept. In the back corner, the partially open curtain revealed a neatly folded futon and sleeping area. She decided it really wasn't a bad place.

"Here," Shane said and placed the cup on the table in front of Tatsuki. "I don't see how you make it to school on time," she said, picking up the cup. "I spent a few hours trying to find this place."

Shane gave her a curious look. "It only takes me about 20 minutes to get to school," he said. Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Of course! You know exactly where you are going and how to get there. All I had was your crummy map and terrible directions."

"What? You couldn't read my map?" Shane took the paper from Tatsuki and pointed. "See? This is the school here, and this is, um, huh?" Shane frowned and stared closely at the map. He looked the paper up and down, sideways, backwards, upside down and every which way. Tatsuki didn't even try to hold her laughter. "See? Even you couldn't follow those scribbles."

"Well, whatever. You're here now and that's all that matters," Shane replied and crinkled the map into a ball and tossed it carelessly behind him.

About that time, the door to the house burst open and Orihime and Olivia piled inside. "Hi Shane I'm back!" Olivia called out. She stopped when she saw Shane's guest. "Oh, I remember you!" Olivia said with a smile.

"Tatsuki Arisawa, meet my dear friend Olivia," Shane introduced.

"I'm pleased to meet you on better terms," Oliva said.

"Likewise," Tatsuki agreed.

"Why? What happened? What did I miss?" Orihime chimed in. Tatsuki patted Orihime on the shoulder and Olivia laughed. "So where is this wonderful dinner we were promised?" Tatsuki asked. All eyes turned to Shane, who was reading a manga. After a moment, Shane felt three pairs of eyes staring intently at him. He looked up from his book and asked, "What are you all looking at?" Tatsuki hit herself in the head in annoyance, Olivia sighed and shook her head, and Orihime giggled. Shane slammed his book shut, causing the girls to jump. "Right! I'm hungry, so it's time for dinner!" Shane jumped to his feet and struck a pose. "Prepare yourselves! Your taste buds will dance and sing at the meal that I, Shane Akiyama, have prepared for you!" He struck another silly pose and shouted. "Yes! Wonder in awe at the glorious feast I have prepared!" Tatsuki groaned at Shane's flamboyant behavior. Olivia and Orihime were totally into Shane's gimmick and cheering wildly.

Shane disappeared into the kitchen and reappeared with four bowls and other dishes containing the meal. Orihime's eyes went wide when she saw the spread. "You made this much?" she asked.

"Well, I knew someone had a large appetite," Shane said and hurriedly sat down to eat. Tatsuki shot him an evil look and went to taking her food. When dinner was over, Shane brought out desert, which consisted of banana splits. While the girls leaned back and savored the meal, Shane cleared the dishes and cleaned up. When he came back, he was holding four cups and a teapot.

"Thanks for the meal Shane!" Orihime smiled. "Yeah, it was pretty good," Tatsuki admitted.

Shane bowed deeply and said, "I am deeply grateful for your lovely comments."

Olivia leaned over and whispered not too quietly in Tatsuki's ear, "He's not really that good. That's the only thing he knows how to make." Tatsuki recoiled in fake horror. "You fiend! You tricked us! Oh, my heart is betrayed!" Tatsuki put her hand to her forehead and fell back, sending Olivia and Orihime into fits of laughter. Shane slumped to the floor. "Alas, my secret is revealed. The shame is too much! What should I do?" Shane ripped open his shirt dramatically and produced a dagger. "This is the only way to atone for my sins! Ancestors, forgive me!" Shane cried out and held the dagger high over his head. The girls shrieked and knocked Shane over to prevent him from "committing suicide". They all rolled around the floor, kicking and screaming and carrying on, knocking over most of Shane's books.

They managed to untangle themselves and sat around the table drinking tea and trying to straighten themselves out.

"That was the most fun I've had in a while," Shane remarked, straitening his glasses.

"A little laughter and exercise is good for your health," Olivia added while smoothing out her hair and clothes. Tatsuki sat hunched over her tea while Olivia and Orihime chatted about various things. Shane noticed and nudged her with his elbow. "What's wrong?" he asked. Tatsuki shook her head. "This doesn't make any sense." Tatsuki leaned forward and shouted, "This doesn't make any sense!" Orihime and Olivia stopped their conversation and looked at Tatsuki. "What doesn't make any sense?" Orihime asked.

"I don't know!" Tatsuki said and grabbed her head in her hands. "I just don't know." Olivia put her arm around Tatsuki and gave her a squeeze. Shane sighed and asked Olivia, "Do you want to do it or should I?"

"I'll do it," Olivia said. Olivia then told Tatsuki everything about Soul Society, Death Gods and hollows, in greater detail than Shane had explained the other day. At times, Shane would add his comments, but largely stayed silent. When Olivia was done, Tatsuki sighed. "I guess that means you're just like Shane?" she asked. Olivia nodded her head. "I too am a Death God, but my speciality is medicine and Death God magic, or kido."

"So that body isn't real?" Tatsuki asked, poking Shane in the arm. "Nope. It's fake, just an empty shell occupied by my spirit," Shane said. He popped a piece of Soul Candy. There was a flash and a popping sound and Shane was dressed in his Death God uniform, the body lying on the floor.

"So if you're a spirit now, how can I see you?" Tatsuki asked.

"Because Ichigo is stupid and can't keep his enormous power under control," Shane said. "After his powers awakened, you were exposed to it and became what we call 'spiritually aware.' That's why you started seeing things and can see me in this form."

Tatsuki thought for a moment, then said, "I've seen you like this before, haven't I? I mean, before yesterday when you almost got me killed and left me on the roof of that building?" Tatsuki glared at Shane who reluctantly nodded his head. "Why have you been lying to me this whole time?" she asked.

"To protect you," Shane answered. Tatsuki shot him a curious look and Shane continued. "Hollows like to eat human souls. The better quality of the soul, the better it tastes. Death Gods are an extremely rare delicacy for hollows, followed by humans with high spiritual auras. Orihime and Chad have also been exposed to Ichigo's enormous spirit power, and have gained their own powers as a result. Since you haven't shown any special abilities or powers, you can't defend yourself from hollows. It's better if you don't know about this. But now it can't be helped I guess."

"That sounds more like a disadvantage for me," Tatsuki said sourly. Shane fell silent and looked away. "The normal policy of Soul Society is when we encounter humans that can see us and hollows, we end their lives and send their souls to Soul Society, where they can't be harmed by hollows," Olivia said. Tatsuki's eyes went wide with shock and horror. "Don't worry, we won't kill you," Olivia assured her. Orihime held Tatsuki's hand for support. "I'll protect you Tatsuki," Orihime said. Tatsuki smiled and squeezed Orihime's hand.

"Okay, I'm sick of this mushy stuff," Shane said loudly. He merged back with his faux body and stood up. "There's still a little day light left and there is a park nearby. Who wants to go?" Three eager hands shot up into the air. Shane struck another silly pose. "Then let's go! Off into the setting sun for a grand adventure!" he shouted. Tatsuki rewarded him with a hit on the head.


	10. Shane Tatsuki Beatdown

The three girls walked ahead and occasionally, they would look back at Shane and Olivia and Orihime would giggle. Shane rolled his eyes and sighed, assuming Olivia was telling embarrassing stories about him. They reached the park and the girls meandered around while Shane sat on a bench and watched. Just then, his phone rang. "Hello?" Shane answered.

"Shane, this is Rukia," Rukia replied.

Shane sat forward and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, not at this moment," Rukia assured him. "Are you with Orihime? When I called her house, Captain Hitsugaya said she was at your house."

"Yeah, she's with me," Shane said. "What's going on?"

"I talked with Urahara and he wants me to take Orihime to Soul Society to train with her to improve her skills. Captain Ukitake is in agreement," Rukia said.

"Do you want to talk to her now?" Shane asked, standing up.

Rukia thought for a moment, and replied, "If it's not too much trouble, could I speak with her?"

Shane put his hand over the receiver and called for Orihime. She came trotting over and Shane handed her the phone. She talked quietly for several moments, then hung up and handed the phone back to Shane. "I guess I'm going away for a little while," she said. Tatsuki put her hand gently on Orihime's shoulder and looked concerned.

"Don't worry Tatsuki," Orihime said, smiling. "I'm going to get stronger so I can protect you and everyone else too." Tatsuki gave her shoulder a light squeeze.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll escort Orihime back to her house," Olivia said, leading Orihime away. "I'll see you later."

Shane waved to them, then turned to Tatsuki. "Well, since you became so hopelessly lost on the way here, I'd better walk you back," he said. Tatsuki frowned and crossed her arms. "Don't get the wrong idea," she said. Shane sighed and they started walking.

The sun had gone down and the streetlights provided illumination. They walked in silence, neither knowing what to say. When they reached an intersection, Shane idly looked around, then cast a glance at Tatsuki. Her face was neutral and her hands were on her hips as if to say, _now what genius?_

"Wanna go that way?" Shane asked and pointed down a dark alley.

"Why?" Tatsuki asked.

"Well, that way is kind of a short cut that leads to the storm drain. There's usually a few gang members that hang out down there," Shane said. A sly grin crossed his face and he added, "Wanna beat them up?"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "Well, since they're delinquents, I suppose a beating wouldn't be a bad thing." Shane motioned for her to follow and they set off down the alley, banging and clanking old garbage cans and piles of junk.

 _SQUISH!_ "Eeww, what was that?"

"I don't want to know..."

 _CRASH BANG CLATTER..._ "Oww!"

"Watch where you're going?"

"How can I? I can't see anything!"

 _CRUNCH...POW_ "What was that for?"

"Watch where you put your hands, pervert!"

"But it's dark and I'm scared!" _POW_ "Why? Why?"

Tatsuki and Shane finally stumbled out of the alley, covered in dirt and garbage. Shane dusted himself off as Tatsuki gingerly picked a rotten banana peel off her head. "You owe me big time," she hissed. Shane put his finger to his lips and pointed. Tatsuki looked and saw a glow under the bridge. They slid down the bank into the bottom of the storm drain and crept in. As they drew closer, they could hear the would-be gangsters talking and milling about.

"Man, I'm tired of this," one of them said.

"What, you want out or something?" another asked.

"You know what happens if you want out," a third said.

"Yeah. You gotta go through 'The Gauntlet.'" someone said. At the mention of The Gauntlet, the entire group shuddered.

"We can help you with that," Tatsuki said, cracking her fingers. The entire group jumped up in shock.

"Who are you? What do you want?" one of them asked.

"You guys are such crappy gangster wannabes, I figure we'll put you all through 'The Gauntlet' and end your miserable lives," Tatsuki mocked.

"How can you say that? We don't even know you!" another said.

"What's the matter? You scared of a helpless girl?" Tatsuki mocked. That seemed to get them all fired up. Most of the gang members grabbed what they could find: old pipes, wooden planks, baseball bats, pieces of rebar, chunks of concrete. Others simply used their bare fists. The gang rushed out and surrounded Tatsuki and Shane. Tatsuki was grinning and fidgety. Shane calmly counted the gang members. "Looks like 20 or so," he said.

"Heh, sounds like good odds to me," Tatsuki said.

When he thought about it later, Shane couldn't recall exactly what started the brawl. One minute, they were staring each other down, and the next, chaos. The gang quickly discovered that a large group of ruffians was no match for a 2nd degree blackbelt and one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in all of Soul Society. Within five minutes, it was all over. Tatsuki dusted her hands off and looked mildly satisfied.

"Was that good enough for you?" Shane asked. Tatsuki turned and grinned. "They were just punks, not even a good warm up."

Shane's eyes suddenly went wide and he quickly looked to the sky. His phone began to beep, but he didn't bother to answer. "I hope you're ready for the main event," Shane finally said. Tatsuki looked to the sky and her face became very pale. Up in the sky, hundreds of hollow began to appear, with more appearing on the ground around them.

"Why is this happening?" Tatsuki asked, fear creeping into her voice.

"I can understand if maybe one or two were attracted to our strong spiritual auras, but this is a little overboard," Shane said. He swallowed a piece of Soul Candy and stashed his body in a safe place. "I'm going to need your help with this," Shane said to Tatsuki.

"Me? What can I do? I don't have any special power!" Tatsuki argued. Shane grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. "The fact you can see them means you have special power!" Shane said firmly. "This isn't a karate competition. If you lose here, you die."

Tatsuki frowned. "You're not helping," she said sourly.

"This isn't the Tatsuki I know!" Shane shouted. "When did you become such a coward in the face of terrifying danger?" Shane could see the fire light in Tatsuki's eyes. "Use the power that comes from here," Shane said, poking Tatsuki in the chest. "That burning desire to win, to survive, to protect those you care about." As he jumped away, Shane shouted over his shoulder, "Remember, the weak spot is the mask!"

Tatsuki watched him leave and barely dodged a hollow's attack. She looked down at the large tear in her shirt. "This is my favorite shirt!" Tatsuki screamed. The hollow lunged forward and Tatsuki put all her strength into a straight right punch. Her fist connected solidly with the hollow's mask, cracking it. Tatsuki stepped back surprised. The hollow fell back in a daze.

"Heh. The final attack!" Tatsuki shouted and landed a roundhouse left that shattered the hollow's mask, causing the hollow to disappear in a shower of blue particles.

"That was surprisingly easy," Tatsuki said to herself. She made a fist and turned to the group of hollows approaching. "Time to show what Tatsuki Arisawa is made of," she said. She looked to the sky and shouted, "I won't lose to an idiot dead guy!"

Shane heard Tatsuki's cry and smiled, then turned back to fighting hollows. As he was fighting, he was trying to work out in his head the reason why all the hollows had appeared. He looked around and saw he was some distance away from Tatsuki. He could hear her fighting, so he wasn't too worried. Just then, the air became heavy, as if someone were smothering him with a cold, heavy blanket. His eyes grew wide at the intensity and weight of spirit power. Shane heard footsteps behind him and he slowly turned to look.

The Arrancar was tall, roughly the same height as Shane. She had short dark hair that fell to her jaw line, her bangs cut in a straight line just above her eyebrows. Instead of an overcoat, she wore a tight fitting, sleeveless qipao that accented her gentle curves, but reached just above her knees. She also wore loose-fitting pants and slippers. Her entire outfit was white with black trim. The remains of her mask covered her face below the nose, showing only her cold, narrow eyes.

"Tell me, are you the Death God called Akiyama?" she asked.

Shane nodded, keeping his face neutral. "And who might you be?"

"I am Luna de Plata and I have been ordered to kill you," she replied softly.

Shane was taken aback. "Did Aizen tell you to do this?" Luna shook her head. "The order came from the Demon Lady."

 _Demon Lady? Does she mean Akuma?_ "Who is the Demon Lady?" Shane asked. Luna shook her head. "No questions. I simply told you the name of the one who will kill you."

"Then come," Shane said and waved with his hand. Luna disappeared.

 _I am sooooooo not ready for this,_ Shane thought to himself. Luna reappeared in front of him and let loose a fury of attacks. Shane clenched his teeth and concentrated on surviving. _So fast and precise,_ he thought. Luna easily drove Shane back until his back hit the wall. Luna lunged forward and Shane barely managed to avoid a fatal strike. He used flash steps to open some distance. _Calm down. Think! She's fast, but so are you._

This time, Shane went on the attack. Luna's expression never changed, as if she were bored with everything, easily countering Shane's moves. Shane broke contact and jumped back a few feet. "Are you one of the Espada?" he asked.

Luna shook her head. "If I were one of the Espada, you would have been dead before you saw my face."

 _So she isn't an Espada. Is this the power of normal Arrancar?_ Shane narrowed his eyes and thought about what to do next.

"Why do you work for the Demon Lady?" Shane asked. Luna shook her head. "Stop stalling. You will die here tonight by my hand." Luna moved again, but faster. Shane tried to use flash steps to avoid her, but Luna was right with him. "My _sonido_ is faster than your _shunpo._ Resistance is useless," she said. A quick strike to the back of the head sent Shane crashing back to the pavement. His body hit and he saw stars.

Shane lay there, trying to move his broken body, when he heard footsteps. He managed to roll over and sit up and saw Luna standing above him. "Will you at least draw your Soul Slayer? I'm curious to see what one looks like."

Shane laughed and rose unsteadily to his feet. "You want to see a Soul Slayer?" he asked, taking the swords out of his sash. "Then go somewhere else!" He threw them at her feet. Luna's eyes betrayed nothing. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked.

"That is not a Soul Slayer," Shane said, pointing to her feet. "Those are swords they give students who are learning to become Death Gods. There isn't one iota of spirit energy in those swords."

Luna stared at Shane, digesting his words. She picked up one of the blades and snapped it in half with her hand. "You disappoint me," she said. "The Demon Lady spoke highly of you, but I see an insect not worthy to be crushed by my heel."

"Ouch lady, that hurts," Shane said. His eyes watched Luna's arms twitch. Suddenly, blood erupted from two new wounds on Shane's torso. He looked down and watched his blood flow. Shane's vision began to blur and he became dizzy. "Hey, stop the spinning," he muttered and collapsed to his knees.

Luna stood over him with contempt. "Since you wasted my time, I'm going to kill you slowly," she said. She knelt in front of him and drew her fingernail along his cheek. The skin parted like butter, leaving a thin red trail that slowly seeped down his face. She then reached for his neck.

"Goodbye insect," she said and flicked her wrist.

 _Goodbye Tatsuki and everyone. I failed wonderfully,_ Shane thought as his eyes closed.

 **insect**

 **called us insect**

 **insignificant bug show her who's a bug crush the bug**

 **CRUSH HER!**

Shane's hand shot out and grabbed Luna around the neck. "Resistant to the end?" she said. Shane's hand began to tighten and Luna began to choke. She tried to pry his hand off and was surprised by his iron grip. The vice-like grip began to close and Luna could feel the bones in her neck begin to crack. With her vision fading fast, Luna struggled to raise her hand. In the palm, a swirling ball of red-colored energy began to form. She pushed the partially formed _cero_ into the ground where it exploded. Luna jumped clear of the flames breathing heavily and her clothes lightly singed.

 _What was that just now?_ she asked herself and rubbed her neck. She could feel the imprint of Shane's hand on her skin. She had no doubt the bones were bruised as well.

A flicker of motion caught her eye and Luna watched as Shane slowly walked out of the dying fire. His clothes were shredded and he was covered in blood from many cuts and scrapes. He disappeared and Luna dodged as he reappeared in front of her. She looked closely and saw Shane's eyes were cloudy and unfocused, as if he were starring off into the distance.

 _What is going on?_ Luna thought. _Is this even the same person?_ She saw his lips moving and herd him mumbling. She leaned in slightly to hear what Shane was saying.

" **kill. kill them. kill her. kill them all."**

Luna jumped back as Shane's head shot up and he swung at her. She avoided his fist, but caught his knee square in the solar plexus. All the air in her lungs escaped in one explosive breath. As she bent over his knee, Shane brought his elbow crashing down at the base of her skull. Dazed, Luna fell to the ground. She struggled to her feet and used _sonido_ to open a gap between them.

 _Something is not right. His spirit energy is wild and chaotic, nothing like a normal Death God,_ she thought. _Such a killing intent._

Shane jumped after her and Luna rolled away as Shane made an impact crater with his fist, right where she had been standing. Their fight was now at a new level of speed and power. Now their positions were reversed, with Luna on the run and Shane hunting her down. She still hit him hard, but he ignored the pain and injuries and kept coming.

Shane finally grabbed Luna with a jujitsu hold and threw her hard into the ground. She bounced to her feet and staggered back. She was breathing heavily and her clothes were dirty and torn. Shane looked bad as ever.

"This has taken far too long," Luna said between gasps. "This will be the end."

Luna used her _sonido_ to build as much speed and momentum as she could. She jumped and kicked Shane in the chest as hard as she could. Shane was lifted off his feet and the both of them began to fly backwards. Luna pushed with her legs and Shane flew into the concrete wall at nearly the speed of sound. The impact caused a large explosion of dust and concrete fragments. Before Shane could fall forward, Luna pinned him to the wall with his own swords, stabbing him though the shoulders.

Shane's body hung, supported by the thin steel. Luna reached for his neck and felt his pulse, faint but steady. She stepped back and formed a _cero_ in her hand. This time, she was able to let it grow to its full power before thrusting it into Shane's body.

Luna used _sonido_ to get away and looked at her handiwork from afar. She watched the fires smolder for a second, the turned away and opened a portal back to Hueco Mundo.

Tatsuki had no choice but to take cover and fear for her and Shane's safety. When the overbearing presence of the Arrancar faded away, Tatsuki came out of hiding and gasped at what she saw. She picked her way through the rubble, amazed and horrified at what she saw.

"So this is what happens," she said to herself. "This is what Shane wanted to protect me from, why Ichigo and everyone else are risking their lives." Tatsuki hung her head and kicked a small stone. Through the smoke she could see Shane's body. Tatsuki ran over and felt the bile rise in her throat. She didn't even recognize him. His clothes were virtually non-existant and his skin was scorched red. His glasses were gone and arm and leg were bent at unnatural angles.

Tatsuki was so horrified, she didn't know what to think. Her mind was numb from the brutality of it all. If she didn't witness him start coughing up blood, Tatsuki was certain that Shane was dead. He was alive, but only by a fingernail. Tatsuki's brain started working again and she thought of who she could call. As Tatsuki reached for her phone, she heard the sound of wooden sandals on pavement.

"My, my. What a mess," Urahara said, looking around.

"Who are you?" Tatsuki asked, suddenly suspicious.

"If you want him to live, you'll help me," Urahara said evenly. Tatsuki glared at him, but helped pick Shane's body out of the rubble.

"Thank you for your help. I'll take it from here," Urahara said. He tossed Shane over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and sighed. "Looks like this outfit will be ruined after this."

"Wait!" Tatsuki called out. Urahara stopped and turned around. "Can you really help him?" she asked. Urahara rubbed his chin and pretended to think about it. "Well, due to the severity of his injuries and taking into account who caused them, I'd say he has about a 0.000000000001% chance of NOT making a full recovery," he said.

When Tatsuki gave him a stupid look, Urahara laughed. "Don't worry. He'll be fine in a few days. Then you can go back to hitting him over the head with chairs."

"Hey! How did you know about that?" Tatsuki called out, but Urahara had disappeared. She looked around and sighed. "Idiot. How am I supposed to get home? I don't know how I got here."


	11. Going All Out

_Wow. This is pretty bad. I have lost count of how many times I've died, but somehow came back to life. I must have more lives than 8 or 9 cats. What's it all for? Do I really matter that much? Am I so important that people can't afford to let me die? Shoot, maybe Captain Ukitake did make the right person his lieutenant. I'll bet he's with the other captains, bragging about how he managed to get a lieutenant who never dies. Hmm. I must not be dead because I don't think dead people think of this much random stuff. I wonder what's for lunch._

Shane slowly opened his eyes. When his eyes finally adjusted to the light, he noticed he was laying in a room in Urahara's shop. He sat up and winced in pain. The covers fell down and he looked at his mummified body. Shane slowly moved around and was not surprised to find everything hurt, including his hair.

"You know, you're costing me a fortune in medical supplies," Olivia said, entering the room. She kneeled down and gently pushed Shane back onto the bed. "If they ever find out what you're made of and sell it, you could make a lot of money," Olivia said.

The door opened again and Tatsuki entered. When she saw Shane was awake, she stopped and blushed. "If you die from something stupid like that, I'll never forgive you," Tatsuki stammered and rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Shane winced at the loud sound.

"She's come by every day to check on you," Olivia whispered.

"Do I even want to know how long I've been out?" Shane whispered back. "What century is it?"

"Well look who's finally awake!" Urahara said as he entered the room. He sat beside Olivia and Yoruichi the cat curled up beside Shane. Urahara became serious. "What happened?"

"I was out one night and was attacked by a large number of hollows. A strange Arrancar appeared and she beat the tar out of me. That's all I remember," Shane said.

"Was she one of Aizens?" Olivia asked. Shane shook his head. "I think she works for Akuma," he said. Olivia gasped and Urahara's fan hid his face. "Was the Arrancar everything you thought it would be?" Yoruichi asked.

Shane rolled his eyes and said, "Gee, ya think?"

"Well, what do you think?" Olivia asked.

Shane sighed. "I think I'm in trouble." He then looked to Urahara. "I have a favor to ask," he said.

"What is it?" Urahara replied. Shane picked up Yoruichi and looked her face to face. "Well, it kinda involves you too," he said.

"I'm listening," Yoruichi the cat said.

They stood in the enormous room under Urahara's shop. In the distance, Shane could hear Renji and Chad's training.

"So, run this idea of yours by me again?" Yoruichi asked. She stood a short distance away, her arms crossed.

"From what I can remember, when I'm either near death or already dead, something inside me takes over, and I become a ruthless killing machine," Shane said. "You are going to beat the crap out of me and see if we can't get it to come out." He pointed to where Urahara was standing. "And Urahara will attempt to record any data so we can analyze it and maybe figure out what this power is, or where it's coming from."

"So, you're just going to let me beat you?" Yoruichi asked. Shane grinned. "Who said anything about that? I still owe you a sparring session, do I not? Show me what the former captain of 2nd Squad and 'Goddess of Flash' Yoruichi can do."

Yoruichi sighed and unfolded her arms. "You asked for this," she said. Shane suddenly saw three different Yoruichi's and they all hit him at the same time. _Remember, it's what you wanted,_ Shane said to himself.

 _Next time, I think I'll just shoot myself in the face and it might be less painful..._

Shane remembered the last time they sparred and this was nothing like that. Yoruichi was truly trying to kill him, and she was succeeding. Shane realized she was stronger and faster than he had thought and he had severely underestimated her. _Well, that was stupid,_ he thought. Shane fought back the best he could, and managed to get a few good hits in, but Yoruichi quickly adjusted her fighting style, and Shane was left with nothing.

Finally, Shane was left, beaten and bruised, barely able to stand. He felt like his lungs were on fire with every breath he took. Sweat mixed with blood and stung his eyes. He would have wiped his face, but he had lost all feeling in his arms and legs.

Yoruichi stared at him impassively. Suddenly, there seemed to be several Yoruichis and they all seemed to hit Shane in the same spot on the back of his head. _Lights out..._

Urahara shifted his stance and made sure he was ready with his video recorder

Shane's eyes went dark and he started to teeter. Yoruichi waited to see what happened. Shane's momentum carried him forward, but before he completely lost his balance, he stepped loudly and caught himself. Yoruichi squinted and looked closely. It seemed as if Shane were still unconscious. His head snapped up, his eyes hazy and unfocused. Yoruichi was taken aback by the sudden change of his spiritual aura. "Are you getting this?" she called out.

"Yes! You're doing a splendid job!" Urahara encouraged. Yoruichi was on edge, unsure of what was going to happen. Shane lashed out. Although she expected it, Yoruichi was surprised at the speed and power behind Shane's punch. Yoruichi jumped back and Shane stopped. Yoruichi cautiously went forward with several light attacks to probe Shane's reaction. He countered and caught her square in the kidney with his knee. Yoruichi's eyes went wide with shock. She attacked him and again he countered with a forceful palm heel strike, intending to shove her nose back into her brain. Yoruichi dodged and jumped back.

"Well?" Urahara called out.

Yoruichi wiped her mouth and gently massaged her back. "I don't know what this is, part of me wants to see what he's capable of."

"It's up to you," Urahara replied, focusing his camera. Yoruichi smiled and ran at Shane. He met her head on. The resulting collision of their bodies and spiritual energy created another crater in Urahara's massive room.

"That's not going to be cheap," Urahara winced.

Yoruichi was getting serious for the first time in a long time, but at the same time she was intrigued by Shane's mysterious power. If she had to guess, Yoruichi would say that Shane's fighting spirit, will to live, his inner whatever, was so strong, it moved his body when his mind was unconscious. Shane was matching her hit for hit with a fighting style she was unfamiliar with. His movements were wild and chaotic, but she noticed he was never out of control of his body.

Yoruichi paused to catch her breath and wipe her mouth. She wasn't surprised to see a thin trickle of blood. She sighed and looked at Shane. "I'm going to show you something you might be able to use someday. You probably can't comprehend what I'm telling you anyway," she said. Yoruichi raised her arm out to the side about shoulder height. A spark of electricity raced down her arm and the area was blinded by an explosion of light. Yoruichi's outer top was shredded, revealing her arms and back.

"This is called _shunkou,_ or Flash Cry. It combines hand to hand and _kido._ Focus a large amount of spirit energy, and through an explosion, that energy is forced into the arms and legs," Yoruichi explained. "However, this technique is very dangerous, but I don't think you care about that right now." Shane cocked his head to the side, as if comprehending her words.

With Flash Cry, Yourichi's movements became faster and her attacks packed incredible energy. Urahara had a difficult time tracking her movements on the camera. It appeared as if Shane was being buffered by an intense wind from all directions. His body danced as if attached to strings being pulled haphazardly. Shane was breathing heavy, undoubtedly close to being beaten to death again. Yoruichi stopped several feet away from Shane. "It seems we are both close to our limits," she said. She cocked her head sideways and added, "But I'm starting to wonder if you have any limits." She raised her hands and unleashed a massive explosion of energy. The entire room was bathed in bright light and Urahara was forced to take cover. As the wave of energy rapidly approached Shane, he put his hands in front of him. A wall of energy appeared around Shane as the blast engulfed him, like a wave breaking over a rock.

When the light faded and the dust settled, the ground in front of Yoruichi was vaporized, forming a trench that grew deeper and wider the further out it got. Shane was revealed to be standing on a small patch of ground that was saved by his barrier. His body was completely still. Several seconds passed, then Shane fell flat on his face, his nose breaking his fall. Yoruichi sighed in relief, then collapsed. Urahara came out of hiding and helped her to her feet.

"Well?" Yourichi asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Urahara surveyed the carnage. "I wonder who's going to pay for this?" he asked.


	12. Tatsuki Lends A Hand, A Chance Encounter

While Shane was wrapped up and unconscious in one of Urahara's spare rooms (again), Yoruichi and Urahara were watching the video. Out of the corner of his eye, Urahara noticed Yoruichi had light bruising on her face and she was constantly rubbing her ribs. "Was it that bad?" he asked slyly. Yoruichi shot him a look, then shrugged. Just then, the door to the shop opened. Urahara and Yoruichi looked up and saw Tatsuki enter. She looked around, and when she saw them looking at her, she blushed and looked away. "Is Shane here?" she asked.

"Yes. He's in the back resting," Urahara said smiling. Tatsuki nodded her thanks and went down the hall. Moments later, Tatsuki let out a shriek that caused Urahara to jump. Tatsuki burst through the door and shouted, "What happened?"

"It was his own fault, just like the last hundred times," Yoruichi said, rather coldly. Tatsuki calmed down and said, "Well, what do you expect from that idiot?"

"Say, since you are here, do you mind helping us with something?" Urahara asked. Tatsuki raised an eyebrow and looked over Urahara's shoulder to see what they were watching. "What's this?" she asked.

"This is why Shane looks like a mummy right now," Urahara said. Tatsuki grimaced as she watched. "Yeah, no kidding," she said. "Anyway, what do you want help with?" she added.

"I'm told you are quite an accomplished fighter," Urahara said. Tatsuki nodded. "We were wondering if you could tell us what you know about Shane's fighting style," he said.

Tatsuki thought for a moment, the said, "He told me once his fighting style is a mix of Jujitsu and Krav Maga." Yoruichi and Urahara gave her blank stares. "Uh, that's what we'd call it here in this world," Tatsuki said sheepishly. "To put it simply, Shane's moves consist of grappling, joint locks, throws and incapacitating an opponent as quickly as possible with minimal risk to himself. That's the basis anyway."

"Then what do you make of this?" Urahara asked. Tatsuki watched the video of Shane fighting while unconscious. Tatsuki blinked in surprise. "I've never see this before," she admitted.

"Never seen this fighting style?" Yoruichi asked. Tatsuki shook her head. "I mean, Shane is not normally a violent person. Is this even him?" Urahara nodded his head. Tatsuki thought for a moment and watched the video. After a few moments, she paused the video. "I don't know what this is, but it looks like a martial art called Muay Thai."

"What's that?" Yoruichi asked. Tatsuki sighed and said, "Boxers use their fists to fight. In Karate, you use your hands and feet. But Muay Thai utilizes not only hands, feet, but elbows and knees to inflict damage." Tatsuki frowned and stroked her chin in thought. "What's the matter?" Urahara asked.

"Something just occurred to me," Tatsuki said. "Jujitsu and Muay Thai have been regulated for use in competitions. But they, along with Krav Maga were originally used for one thing." Tatsuki paused and Yoruichi and Urahara figured what was coming next.

"What's that?" Olivia asked, appearing in the door.

"To kill people," Tatsuki said softly. "When I sparred with Shane and even when we got into a couple fights, I could tell he was holding back. But this," Tatsuki replayed the video, "is what happens when nothing is held back. I think this is what Shane is truly capable of."

"No," Urahara shook his head and Tatsuki glanced at him. "He is capable of so much more. Right now, his mind and spirit are in conflict. If and when he finally achieves that balance, I do believe he will surprise us all."

"Pshh. Idiot," Tatsuki muttered.

When Shane woke up, the late afternoon sun was shining through the window, casting an amber haze through the room. He could hear voices coming from down the hall. Shane slowly sat up, grunting from the dull pain and looked around the room. Ten minutes later he was dressed, the bandages on his arms and face still showing. He didn't feel like being around the others, so he opened the window and carefully crawled out. Fortunately, Urahara's shop only had one floor. Shane stretched his stiff muscles and slowly walked off.

He didn't know where he was going, nor did he care. He stared at his feet and kept walking. The sun was slowly setting, casting long shadows, and a light breeze made the evening pleasant. Shane found himself walking through a park. As he came to an open field, he saw a lone person standing by himself. As he drew closer, Shane saw it was an elderly man, wearing a kung fu robe. He was slowly going though some motions Shane was unfamiliar with. Intrigued, Shane sat on a bench and watched the old man. Although he was old, the man appeared to be in excellent health. He moved with such grace and fluidity that Shane felt calm and peaceful. Shane closed his eyes and sighed.

After a while, the old man stopped and noticed he had an audience. The old man smiled and waved. "Hello!" he called out in a cheerful voice.

"Hello," Shane nodded in reply. He stood up as the old man made his way over. He was several inches shorter than Shane and had a slight hunch. "I apologize if I disturbed you," Shane said.

"No, don't worry about it," the man assured him. "When I'm out here, I tend to lose track of time and don't notice anything."

"If you don't mind, what were you doing?" Shane asked. The old man seemed to perk up and he smiled. "Oh, so you're interested?" he asked. Shane nodded. "I was just doing Tai Chi," the old man said.

"What's that?" Shane asked. The old man started walking and he motioned for Shane to follow. They began walking back the way Shane had come. "Tai Chi is a martial art that comes from China," the man said. "Nowadays, people mostly use it as a way to stay in shape and keep the joints limber. It's also good for relaxing and it is very calming too." The man looked up at Shane. "But don't be fooled by all the slow movements. Tai Chi can be a very formidable art."

"I see," Shane said. As they walked in silence, Shane began to welcome the old man's company. The sky grew dark and the first of the street lights began to wink on. The old man stopped at a plain white house on the corner. "Why don't you come inside?" he offered.

"It's getting late and I should get back," Shane said.

"Oh, come now. I insist," the man said. Shane smiled and found he couldn't turn the old man down and followed him inside. While Shane waited at the table for the man, he looked around the house. It was very neat with little furnishings. On one wall was a large black and white photo of a man wearing ceremonial robes. On the other wall was a small desk with a picture of a woman and incense burning. The old man appeared with two teacups and a pot of tea. Shane accepted one of the cups and took a sip. "This is good. What is it?" he asked.

"Ah, my own secret blend. I'm glad you like it," the man said as he sat down. After a moment of silence, Shane asked, "Please, would you mind telling me your name?"

"Akagi. Shin Akagi," the man replied. "It's been a while since I've had a guest, so please forgive the appearance of this place."

"Not at all," Shane assured him. "My house looks very similar to this one." Shane took another sip and nodded to the desk. "Is that a picture of your wife?" he asked. Shin turned and looked at the picture. Shane sensed a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Yes, this is my wife," Shin said. He picked up the picture and handed it to Shane. It was an old color photo of a rather plain looking woman. She wore a pale yellow kimono with a floral pattern and her hair pulled back into a bun. Shane felt a warmth radiate from the photo and he smiled. "She's very lovely," he said, handing the photo back.

"Yes. Rihiko wasn't the most beautiful girl, but she brought joy to my life," Shin said. He lovingly brushed a finger across the picture before placing it back on the desk.

"Do you have any children?" Shane asked. Shin shook his head. "Rihiko and I were never blessed with children, although she wanted them badly. Being an only child myself, I had wondered what it would have been like to have a house full of rowdy children, running around and carrying on as young ones do."

"What happened?" Shane asked. Shin stared off into the distance, as if remembering the past. When he didn't say anything, Shane said, "I'm sorry if you don't want to talk about it."

"Ah, don't worry about it. It was a long time ago," Shin replied. "I received a call from work that my wife had become ill and was taken to the hospital. When I went to see her after work, the doctor told me the prognosis wasn't good. Pneumonia."

"Oh my," Shane said. Shin looked down into his cup and sighed. "You see, back then, we didn't have all the modern medicine and technology of today. Rihiko became very sick and she eventually died."

"I'm very sorry," was all Shane could say. Shin swirled the tea around in his cup and cleared his throat. "Well, enough of that. No use dwelling on bad things that happened in the past."

Shane looked at the clock and realized how late the time was. He finished his tea and said, "Thank you for the tea."

"Yes, yes. And I should thank you for coming to visit a lonely old man," Shin replied with a smile. "Oh, and another thing," he added and pulled out an old, thin book and handed it to Shane.

"What's this?" Shane asked, looking through the pages.

"That's a book on Tai Chi. Since you were interested in learning, I thought I'd give it to you," Shin replied. "Just come by the park tomorrow, about the same time and I'll teach you."

"Wow. Thank you very much," Shane said, thumbing through the pages. Shin showed him to the door and saw him out. As Shane turned down the street, he stopped and waved to the kind old man, then made his way back to his own house.


	13. Harmony And Balance

The sunlight shining through the window woke Shane a split second before his door burst inward. Shane sat up with a start and was roughly hauled to his feet. Still half asleep and blind without his glasses, Shane was dragged out side and pushed to the ground. A hand grabbed him by the shirt and hauled him to his feet.

"What is wrong with you?" Renji screamed in his face. Shane recoiled back and Renji let him go, causing Shane to stumble and fall again. Shane looked up and squinted, trying to make sense of the blurry figures standing over him. Someone threw his glasses at him and he put them on. Renji, Rangiku, Olivia and the others were standing over him, looking none too happy.

"What's the meaning of this?" Shane asked tiredly. He sighed and slowly stood up. "My neighbors might call the police with all this commotion."

"Why did you leave like that? You had us all worried," Olivia said.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Tatsuki bellowed. Shane winced as Typhoon Tatsuki suddenly appeared. She pushed through the crowd, her face twisted with fury.

"Oh, man," Shane sighed and hung his head. Tatsuki took two steps toward him and unleashed a powerful right hook. Shane didn't bother to move and he took Tatsuki's punch square in the jaw. His eyes rolled up in his head and he was out before he hit the ground. The others simply stared as the shock of what happened slowly sank in. Then, as one, they all began shouting at Tatsuki.

"Serves him right," Tatsuki fumed. Her anger gave off a powerful aura and everyone stopped shouting and slowly stepped back to give Tatsuki room. Tatsuki walked over and gave Shane a good kick in the ribs, then turned around and left.

"Shane sure has some strange friends," Renji said and shuddered.

Olivia ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "Well, could someone help me get him back inside?" she asked. Renji and Ikkaku picked up Shane's limp form and carried him back inside his house.

When Shane woke up, he noticed the sun was coming in the opposite window. The next thing he noticed was the throbbing in his jaw. He touched his face gingerly and felt the swelling. He stood up and walked several steps to his kitchen. He opened the freezer and put several ice cubes in a washcloth and gently held it to his swollen jaw. Shane then looked at the clock and headed out.

Shane met Mr. Akagi in the park, and they did Tai Chi together every day for the following week. Shane proved to be a quick learner, and before long, he had learned the basic forms of Tai Chi. With the sun going down, they walked back to Mr. Akagi's house for tea.

"Tell me, is something bothering you?" Mr. Akagi asked. Shane blinked several times and set his cup down. "How could you tell?" he asked.

"It's in your movements," Mr. Akagi said. "You've learned the basics of Tai Chi, but your movements are stiff and mechanical like. Tai Chi should flow like water, slow but sure."

Shane folded his hands on the table and thought carefully. "I think I'm suffering what all young people my age suffer from," he said.

"And that is?" Mr. Akagi asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Uncertainty. I don't know what to do with my life and I'm unsure of where to go or what to do," Shane confessed.

"Well there you have it," Mr. Akagi smiled.

"Have what?" Shane asked, clearly confused. Mr. Akagi chuckled. "Shane my boy, what makes you think that you are the only one who suffers from not knowing what to do in life? Look around! Do you think anyone truly has any idea what they were meant to do, what their purpose is?" Mr. Akagi leaned back and took a sip of tea. "It seems to me you have recently been given a heavy responsibility and you have no idea if you are the right person. Am I wrong?"

Shane was flabbergasted. "Am I that easy to read?" he managed to ask.

"When you have lived as long as I have, you learn things," Mr. Akagi replied. "I don't know your situation, but it seems as if you boss or whoever seems to think very highly of you."

Shane nodded, thinking of Captain Ukitake. "But I don't understand why. I've never done anything outstanding or worthy of special attention."

"Perhaps you have something about you he finds very useful," Mr. Akagi suggested.

"If he does, I wish he'd tell me what it was," Shane frowned. Mr. Akagi smiled and shook his head. "Give it some time. Things don't happen immediately. Think of flowers. Without love, a lot of patience, and a guiding hand, a small seed won't bloom into a beautiful flower."

Shane nodded his head. "I understand what you mean, but that doesn't make it any easier," he said. "But even flowers bloom in the wild," Shane added.

Mr. Akagi shrugged. "Well you got me on that one. But that is part of what makes us human," Mr. Akagi said. At the word 'human', Shane stiffened slightly. Mr. Akagi didn't notice. "Humans struggle and toil endlessly under the heavens to find meaning in their existence. That is what separates us from other animals and machines." Mr. Akagi finished his tea and set his cup down. "Come now. Enough of this heavy, intellectual thinking." He slapped Shane on the back, causing him to spill several drops. "Don't worry about tomorrow, since today has enough worries of its own. What good is it to worry about things you can't control?"

Shane slowly nodded in agreement and Mr. Akagi could see the wheels turning in Shane's mind. "Yeah, that kinda makes sense," Shane said to himself. He finished his tea, thanked Mr. Akagi, and walked back to his house.

On the way back, Shane passed through the park where he and Mr. Akagi practiced Tai Chi. The clouds broke and the moon cast its pale glow on the world. Shane stopped and closed his eyes. He could feel the whisper of the wind and beat of his heart. The world was calm and so was he. On impulse he dropped into his stance and went through the forms of Tai Chi. With his eyes closed, he felt rather than saw his movements and he understood what Mr. Akagi was talking about. Shane drew in a deep breath and let it out. He cleared his mind of everything except what was happening in that moment. Shane opened his mind and let his feelings and emotions dictate his movements. Completely unaware of anything around him, Shane didn't notice that he had stopped performing Tai Chi and was merely moving to the sound of his own sprit, moving on instinct.

Deep within Shane's mind, something stirred.

Meanwhile, several sets of eyes were watching Shane. His movements were slow and deliberate, as if he were wading through water. A sudden flick of the wrist, and his hands moved faster, more precise, as if he were striking specific points. Shane's motions changed again and he became a whirlwind of arms and legs, striking with knees and elbows. He stopped, then a quick turn of the head, a step here, a shoulder dodge there, avoiding invisible attacks with little wasted motion. Shane then transitioned to something that resembled more of a dance than martial arts. But then, that's what martial arts is, a carefully choreographed dance.

In the farthest corner of Shane's mind, something stirred. It slowly pushed its way up and out, desperately trying to free itself from the darkness. Reaching, crying out to be free, it began to well up inside. Like a bursting dam, it finally broke free from the confines of Shane's mind. It spilled over and began to fill Shane's being.

 **free at last free from the darkness that idiot gets it now no more tight space no more being squished no more being ignored out out in the light**

 **FREEDOM**

They watched as Shane suddenly bent over, clutching his head . He fell to the ground and went into a severe seizure.

"Hurry! We must get to him!" Urahara called out. Olivia instantly appeared at his side and cast a kido spell to restrain him. Suddenly, Shane stopped moving and was still. Olivia carefully examined his body while Urahara looked on. "He'll be fine," Olivia said finally.

"Thank goodness," Urahara breathed a sigh of relief. He waved his hand forward and Yoruichi and Tatsuki appeared. Yoruichi merely looked on while Tatsuki wore a worried expression on her face.

"Shane is just resting now," Olivia said, noting Tatsuki's feelings. "He seems to be unconscious. Again." Olivia sighed and stood up. "I think Shane spends more time off in La-la Land than anywhere else."

"What happened to him?" Tatsuki asked.

"It seems that Shane has somehow tapped into his inner power. Since he wasn't dead or knocked out, the strain proved too much," Urahara said. "Help me take him back to the shop." Urahara and Yoruichi carried Shane's limp form back to Urahara's shop.

"What do you think Shane was doing out here?" Olivia asked.

Tatsuki thought for a moment. "In the beginning, it looked like Shane was doing Tai Chi, but after that, I don't know."

"Maybe we should call it something," Olivia offered.

"Like what?" Tatsuki asked.

"Oh, I don't know. How about 'Shane Fu?'" Olivia said and giggled. Tasuki stroked her chin while she thought about it. "Shane Fu? How about Akiyama-style Fist of the Unconscious!"

"Or Way of Knocking Yourself Out!" Olivia suggested. They spent the time coming up with silly names for Shane's fighting style and laughing hysterically.

"Seems like everyone always has a good time at his expense," Urahara noted.


	14. Inner Peace

He was surrounded by darkness. He felt nothing. He was nothing. Shane merely floated in the dark void, unsure of everything.

 _Where am I?_ he asked himself. A faint light appeared in the distance and Shane felt the sensation of falling toward the light. The light grew bigger and bigger, but never grew any brighter. Soon, the darkness was replaced by the soft light and Shane was strangely comforted by it.

He felt a tingling all over and realized he could feel his body again. Shane looked up and saw he was gently coming to rest on a vast dark grey plain. His feet sank several inches in the soft powdery surface and he looked around. Off in the distance, Shane saw hills and mountains that were the same grey color as the place he was standing. He looked up and saw the black sky with many brilliant stars. There was no air, there was no movement of any kind. The sight of it all took Shane's breath away.

A light appeared on the horizon and slowly rose into the sky. Shane watched as the sun rose, bathing everything in its brilliant light, turning the landscape from dark grey to soft white. Even though the bright sun reflected off the white surface, Shane didn't feel the need to shield his eyes.

Off in the distance, Shane could make out a faint blinking light. At first, he wasn't sure if he had imagined it or if it was another star, but the light blinked again. Strangely, Shane was drawn to the light, and he couldn't stop himself from walking to the light. He glanced behind him and saw his footprints stretching out behind him, undisturbed.

He had no sensation of time, so Shane had no idea how long or how far he had walked. Finally he arrived at the lip of a large crater. The crater wall sloped gently downward and Shane could see an object in the center. He jumped down and bounced lightly to the crater floor. As he drew closer, Shane could see the object begin to take the form of a large tomb. It was made of white marble and inlaid with silver. There were carvings on the tomb, but Shane had no idea what they meant. He walked around the tomb and noticed it seemed very plain and he began to wonder why a tomb was in such a place. He reached out and placed his hand on the tomb. Immediately, Shane was whisked skyward at an incredible rate. Within seconds, the Moon seemed small enough to hold in his hands, and he reached out, as if to touch it.

Shane heard a low rumbling sound that quickly grew louder. He became confused by this. _How can I hear anything if there is no air?_ he thought. The rumbling stopped and a loud voice cried out, "I am Tsukuyomi."

The Moon began to spin toward the dark side. It then stopped spinning, so half the moon was illuminated and the other half was dark. The Moon started to spin again. This time, the light and dark seemed to mix together until the Moon had become a Yin-Yang symbol.

Shane looked around and saw the stars had disappeared and the only thing he could see was the Yin-Yang. He felt like he was falling toward the symbol, but it never grew any larger. Soon, he was standing on the boundary between the light and dark halves. The same voice Shane heard earlier spoke again. "Who are you?"

Shane opened his mouth to reply, but the voice said, "Silence!" Shane shut his mouth and waited. When nothing happened, Shane opened his mouth to speak, but was again interrupted. "Quiet!" the voice commanded.

Shane was very confused and had no idea what was going on, or where he was. He wanted to ask many questions, but decided it wasn't worth getting yelled at by the powerful voice.

"A wise decision," the voice said.

 _So, the voice can read my mind,_ Shane thought.

"Yes," the voice replied. "Quiet your mind."

Shane did as he was told, but found it difficult. He kept thinking of random things. After a while, Shane grew frustrated with himself. Finally, Shane thought to himself, "Where is all this going?"

"The Yin and Yang of your soul is out of balance," the voice said. "You must restore the balance."

As if on cue, everything disappeared and Shane was floating in the formless void. He somehow found his footing, but could see nothing. A bright light appeared overhead and shone down on him. Shane blinked his eyes and put his hand up to shield the light. A figure stepped out of the darkness and Shane realized he was looking at a copy of himself. He stared speechless for a few moments and realized his other self had a hole in his chest that slowly oozed a pale green liquid.

"Is that the stuff Akuma put in me?" Shane asked aloud. The other Shane said nothing, but reached out and put his hands on Shane's face. Shane was instantly bombarded with feelings of pain, anger, determination, hatred, self loathing, and desire, to name a few, mixed with a kaleidoscope of bright colors. Shane gasped and fell to his knees. His eyes rolled up in his head and he made a feeble attempt to pry the hands off his face. "Please, stop," he squeaked. Just when Shane felt he was going to lose his mind, copy Shane pulled his hands away and Shane fell over gasping. He shakily rose to his feet and turned to face his copy, who's eyes were wide and glassed over.

Shane suddenly saw stars and stumbled back as the copy Shane landed a vicious haymaker. Shane was still reeling as his copy began to beat him to a pulp.

 _Such power and ferocity,_ Shane noted. His glasses shattered and his nose was bleeding freely. _This must be what Akuma told me about,_ Shane realized. Copy Shane became more wild and reckless, showing no regard for his own safety. _Is this what happens when we let our instincts and feelings take over?_ he wondered. _Deep down, are we all simply savage monsters driven by our primal urges?_

Shane stumbled back a distance and tried to collect himself. As he looked at his raving self, he began to feel pity. "I think I get it now," he said. Copy Shane merely stared back. "We shouldn't be afraid of our emotions. We all have desires and we are driven to succeed," Shane said, stepping forward. He was now standing in front of himself. "But we shouldn't let our emotions and desires control us. To control our feelings, the will to live when all hope is lost, is what makes us powerful." Shane reached out and embraced himself. "And we must step up and face the future with our heads held high, no matter what happens," he said. There was a bright light and an explosion, but no sound, as Shane merged with himself. He felt lighter, as if a heavy burden had been removed. When the light cleared, he was standing on the mountain top, ankle deep in snow. The sky was overcast and grey. Across from him stood two shadows.

"Why have you come here?" they asked.

"I have come to reclaim what is mine," Shane said. The shadows moved closer, but Shane stood his ground, unafraid.

"What makes you think we will give it to you?" the shadows asked. Their posture became menacing.

"I don't expect to be given anything," Shane replied. "I'm going to take it."

The shadows laughed menacingly. "You think you can come to this place where you are not welcome and take what doesn't belong to you?"

Shane stepped toward the shadows and narrowed his eyes. "I think we are done talking," he said.

Shane stood tall and refused to be intimidated by the shadows. He clenched his fists and the air became thick with tension. The light breeze that had been blowing suddenly paused and for a heart beat nothing happened, and there was an explosion of motion.

Both shadows moved on Shane and began to attack. Shane fought back with a dazzling display of hand-to-hand combat and flash steps. He stopped thinking about what to do and let his instincts control his actions. He read his opponents and his body reacted accordingly. Shane felt like he was moving in a carefully choreographed, slow motion dance. His heart was light and he felt free of any burden.

The shadows jumped back a short distance away and raised a hand. A ball of blue energy began to grow and rotate in the palm. When the energy was the size of a softball, it shot forth and headed right for Shane. Without thinking, Shane raised a hand and he heard himself say, "Reflection Technique."

The balls of energy exploded around him with tremendous force, with a portion of the blast redirected back at the shadows. The shadows merely stepped aside and were unaffected by the blast. When the smoke cleared, Shane was unharmed and he lowered his hand, a stern expression on his face.

"What do you want?" the shadows asked.

"I want to become stronger than I am now," Shane replied without hesitation.

"Why do you want power?" was the next question.

"To protect others," Shane said, "and to learn more about myself. I want to master the power of my soul."

The clouds broke, allowing the moonlight to shine though. The shadows cleared and Shane realized his opponents were Light and Dark Tsukuyomi. The three of them stared at each other. Shane bowed slightly and took a stance. Light and Dark Tsukuyomi did the same. With a deep breath and careful, deliberate movements, Shane started to do Tai Chi. Light and Dark Tsukuyomi followed Shane's movements. The three of them practiced Tai Chi under the night sky, the moon shining brightly. Shane closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of content.

"I am glad your heart is whole again," Light Tsukuyomi said. Shane opened his eyes and glanced at Light Tsukuyomi.

"About time you got your act together," Dark Tsukuyomi chided. A smile appeared on Shane's face. "It makes me happy that we are together again," he said.

"What is our name?" both Tsukuyomis asked with a loud voice.

"Tsukuyomi!" Shane shouted. His voiced echoed across the distance and the ground began to shake.

Back in the Real World, Urahara was keeping a lazy eye on Shane's unconscious body. He felt a slight rumble and watched as Shane's body began to glow a faint silver color. The light grew in intensity until Urahara could no longer look directly at the light.

"Oh boy, here it comes," he said and stepped behind a large boulder. There was a massive explosion of spirit power and the entire area was filled with light and smoke. As the dust settled, Urahara stepped out from behind his noticeably smaller boulder. Shane stood at the center of a large crater, determination in his eyes. Urahara clapped his hands. "Welcome back," he said.

Shane took a deep breath and looked around. "Sorry about your place," he said.

"Don't worry about it," Urahara said, waving him off. "You should have seen what Ichigo did when he was here."

"How long was I out?" Shane asked. He stepped out of the crater and stood next to Urahara.

"About five days or so," Urahara replied. Shane yawned and stretched. "I'm hungry." Without waiting, Shane turned and walked to the ladder that led up to the shop. Urahara pulled out a small box. "I guess I don't need this after all," he said, playing with it.

Shane went to Urahara's spare room and ate a piece of Soul Candy. As his faux body fell to the floor, Shane went to his bag and pulled out a clean uniform. As he adjusted the robes, he reached back into the bag and pulled out a wooden badge about the size of his hand. Engraved on its surface was a flower symbol and the number 13. Shane slid it up his left arm and adjusted it so it would stay. He briefly looked himself in the mirror and the lieutenant of Squad 13 walked out of the room.

Captain Hitsugaya and the others were lounging about the front of Urahara's shop. Shane stopped in the doorway, mentally collected himself, and walked in. Hitsugaya was seated at the table with his lieutenant and Urahara. Shane stood in front of the table. Hitsugaya lazily looked up at him. "What is it?"

Shane bowed and said, "Please forgive me for my actions here in the Real World. I realize my conduct was unbecoming for a lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. I have brought shame upon my squad, my captain, and myself. I will accept any punishment you deem necessary."

Hitsugaya sighed and rolled his eyes. Urahara gazed at him intently. "You are the superior ranking officer here," he said. "What will you do?"

"Very well. I accept your apology," Hitsugaya said and waved him away. Shane stood up and left. When Shane was out of hearing, Hitsugaya said, "About time he got his act together."

"Most fortunate indeed," Urahara agreed.

Shane went back to the room and found Yoruichi laying in the window in cat form. Shane walked up from behind and began to scratch her behind the ears. He was rewarded with a purr.

"If you're not too busy, I have a request of you," Shane said.

"Do I look like I'm busy?" Yoruichi asked. Shane shrugged. "That depends."

"Well, what is it?" she asked.


	15. Training Days pt 2

Once again, the stood in Urahara's training space below his shop. Yoruichi and Shane stood a short distance apart. Yoruichi was grinning and shaking her head. "I have to say, you certainly are persistent."

"You are arguably the best hand-to-hand fighter Soul Society has ever seen. I want to train with you to become better," Shane said.

"How much stronger do you want to get? There's not a lot I can teach you that you don't already know," Yoruichi said.

"Well, let's just fight until one of us quits," Shane suggested. Yoruichi thought for a moment. "Okay, sounds good to me. Just don't go out as easily as the last time." They began to circle each other. _She's very fast, definitely faster than you,_ Shane thought to himself. _How can I overcome her speed?_

 _Let her come to you,_ Light Tsukuyomi said. Shane got in his stance and made like he was going to charge at Yoruichi. She grinned and disappeared. Shane skidded to a halt and looked around. He put his hands together, but before he could say anything, Yoruichi suddenly appeared. "No you don't!" she cried and lunged for him. Shane grinned as he turned away from her grasp and took a backhand swing at Yoruichi as her momentum carried her by. Yoruichi ducked under Shane's fist and kicked out behind her. Shane caught her leg and and threw her to the ground, but Yoruichi somersaulted and landed on her feet.

"You've gotten faster," Yourichi acknowledged. This time, Shane didn't wait, he charged right at her. Yoruichi disappeared and Shane followed. They spent the rest of the day chasing each other with flash steps and very little contact. In fact, it was more like they were playing a game of tag.

"Okay, I'm done," Shane said. He sighed and rubbed his hands on his face.

"Oh? You're conceding defeat?" Yoruichi asked. She appeared in front of him with a smug look on her face.

"For now. You can only play tag with two people for so long before it gets boring," Shane said. He walked away with his hands behind his head. Yoruichi simply shook her head.

When he was out of sight, Shane ducked behind a boulder and began hitting himself on the head. "Idiot! What's wrong with you?"

 _Pshh, that's what I want to know,_ Dark Tsukuyomi said. Shane scowled and rubbed his head. An idea struck him, so he closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. When he opened his eyes, he was back on the snow covered mountain.

"What do you want?" Dark Tsukuyomi asked. Shane looked around and saw Light Tsukuyomi was nowhere to be found. He turned back to Dark Tsukuyomi and gestured to the ground in front of him. Dark Tsukuyomi sat in front of Shane.

"Any suggestions?" Shane asked. Dark Tsukuyomi thought for a moment, then said, "You suck."

"Besides that?" Shane asked.

"You really suck?" Dark Tsukuyomi said. Shane rolled his eyes. "Okay, so in your opinion, how can I not suck?" he asked.

"You're a lieutenant now, right?" Dark Tsukuyomi asked. Shane nodded. "So why are you still fighting at the level of 6th seat or lower?" Dark Tsukuyomi asked. This startled Shane. "My power is that of a 6th seat?" he asked in amazement.

"Yes, your power. Why are you holding back?" Dark Tsukuyomi asked. "Are you that afraid of your own strength?" Shane said nothing and looked down.

"Do you know how it feels to watch someone not live up to their full potential? To only sit on the sideline, unable to do anything but watch? It's so frustrating that I want to kill myself, rather than endure the pain of watching someone eek out an existence, never achieving what they are truly capable of," Dark Tsukuyomi said. Shane could feel a powerful aura emitting from Dark Tsukuyomi. "Is that how you feel?" Shane asked.

"But this is a special circumstance," Dark Tsukuyomi said. "At least you listen to what I'm saying before you ignore me." Dark Tsukuyomi stood and turned away from Shane. "You know many different types of martial arts, but you barely understand the only one that matters."

"My own fighting style," Shane said softly.

"You're too predictable. Anyone who watches you can say, 'Oh, he's using this, now he's switched to that.' People should say 'I've never seen that before,'" Dark Tsukuyomi said. "Fight with your head as well as your fists. Fight not to win a match, but for your life. Isn't that what it all comes down to? Preservation of your existence, your way of life?" Dark Tsukuyomi walked away and faded into the darkness, leaving Shane by himself.

"Develop my own, unique fighting style? I thought I'd done that," Shane said to himself. He stood up and kicked the snow. Shane heard footsteps crunching in the snow. He turned to look and stepped back in surprise. It was the clone of himself. Its eyes were hazy and unfocused and the hole in its chest oozed pale green liquid. Shane let down his guard and walked to meet his clone.

"You again, huh?" Shane said. "How did you get here anyway? I thought you were only in my mind."

" **you...me...together,** " the clone said slowly. Shane nodded his head in agreement. "I need to harness all of my power to get stronger," he said. The clone walked away, leaving Shane alone again. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he was back in Urahara's shop.

"Time for round two," Shane said as he stood up. He found Yoruichi watching Renji and Chad train. She heard him coming and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Round two?" she asked.

"Round two," Shane nodded in agreement. Yoruichi smiled and shrugged. She came at him again and Shane avoided her blows with ease. _She's toying with me again,_ Shane thought. Yoruichi aimed a punch for Shane's head. Instead of ducking away or blocking, Shane moved closer to Yoruichi and head butted her in the chin. Shane felt her teeth click together and Yoruichi stepped back in a daze. Shane used the opening to move in close and began to pummel her with body blows. Yoruichi finally managed to separate herself and flash stepped away.

"That's cheating," she said angrily.

"The first rule is, there are no rules," Shane said, squatting down in a ready stance. "This isn't some competition for points. When your life is on the line, nothing matters."

"But this isn't a life or death situation," Yoruichi argued, rubbing her jaw. A nice bruise was starting to show where Shane hit her with his head.

"If that's so, how come I always seem to end up dead?" Shane asked. Yoruichi had no answer. "You know, someone once said, 'Practice is bloodless war and war is bloody practice.' If you don't train for the real thing, to know what it actually feels like to either die or come close to dying, then how do I know what I'll do when that time actually comes?" Shane asked.

"Well, you certainly seem to have a lot of practice dying," Yoruichi admitted. Shane winced. "Yeah, it's the staying alive part I'm having trouble with."

Yoruichi wiped her mouth and brushed herself off. "Well, we might as well do something about that," she said. Shane tensed and in the blink of an eye, Yoruichi was at him again. Time passed and they continued to fight. Shane was too stubborn to give up and Yoruichi had too much pride to simply let him win. Neither was willing to let up, since doing so would give the other an advantage. Their fight became more and more flamboyant, flying high, bouncing off the walls and ground, even use of kido.

Urahara watched from above with Olivia at his side. "Is it okay for them to fight like that?" she asked, wincing with every blow. "It's like something out of an anime."

"They'll be fine. Yoruichi is strong and we all know that Shane can take a lot of punishment," Urahara assured her. He turned to look at her and said, "Isn't there something you should be doing as well?" Olivia shook her head.

Suddenly, there was a large explosion and a cry from Shane. The blast wave knocked both Urahara and Olivia to the ground. Before the light had faded, Urahara and Olivia scrambled to their feet and ran to the edge. What they saw shocked them both. What used to be solid ground was now a huge crater. Tons of dirt and rock simply vanished, leaving a gaping void. Yoruichi was kneeling at the edge of the crater shaking violently, her eyes wide with fear. Her orange sweater was gone, leaving her arms, sholders and back bare.

Olivia and Urahara scrambled down the cliff and ran to Yoruichi's side. Olivia began checking over Yoruichi and Urahara kneeled by her side. "What happened?" he asked.

"We were fighting and I used my Flash Cry. He came at me and I released some of my energy. I didn't think it would cause this much destruction. I warned him Flash Cry was dangerous, but he wanted to see it anyway," Yoruichi explained. Past the far edge of the crater was a large hill. At the base was a pile of rocks that had collected there, presumably worked loose from the explosion. The pile began to move and Yoruichi, Urahara and Olivia could only watch in disbelief as the rocks fell away and Shane emerged. He took two shaky steps and brushed himself off. He noticed the three of them grouped together and appeared at their side.

"That was pretty rough," he said. They merely stared at him, unable to speak. "What? Is something wrong?" Shane asked and frowned.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Urahara was the first to find his voice. Shane scratched his head and said, "Um, Yoruichi used her Flash Cry technique and I remember a ball of energy coming at me. I put my hands up and used my Reflection Technique and tried to not die. Then there was an explosion and the next thing I knew, I was digging my way out of another grave."

"I think we'll call it a day. What do you say?" Urahara suggested. Shane shrugged and walked to the ladder that led up to the shop.

Later that night, Shane was all alone under Urahara's shop. He stood at the edge of the new crater and shook his head in disbelief. "How did I do that?" he thought to himself. He played it over and over in his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, Shane couldn't figure it out. He became frustrated and let out a growl. Still feeling heated, Shane felt the cool grip of his Soul Slayer. In a blur of motion, Shane drew Tsukuyomi and the blades began dancing in the pale light. The blades cut through the still air with a metalic _zing,_ the light glinting off the polished steel. With a final flourish, Shane replaced both swords in his sash and walked to the exit. As he turned, the large boulders at the edge of the crater crumbled to dust.


	16. A Brief Respite

The next morning, Shane woke with a start. He groped around for his alarm clock and checked the time.

"I'm late!" Shane shouted and exploded out of bed. He was in the process of brushing his teeth, eating a pice of toast, and getting dressed when he heard a knock at the door. He accidently spit the toast in the sink and swallowed the toothpaste in his hurry to answer the door. When the door finally opened, Olivia saw Shane half-naked and a little green in the face. "You look horrible," she said.

Shane made a disgusted face and spit in the sink. "That's what happens when you're running late," he said and disappeared into the house. Olivia stepped in and seconds later, Shane reappeared wearing loose fitting clothing. When Olivia gave him a questioning glance, Shane said, "I'm going to meet a friend of mine."

"Oh. Mind if I tag along?" Olivia asked. Shane shrugged and they left the house together. When they arrived at the park, Shane pointed to where an old man was standing by himself. "Come on and I'll introduce you," he said.

As they drew closer, Mr. Akagi turned around. When he saw Shane, he smiled. "Why hello there," he said. He noticed Olivia and said, "I see you brought a friend."

"Olivia, this is Mr. Akagi. Mr. Akagi, this is my friend Olivia," Shane introduced them.

"Nice to meet you," Olivia said politely and held out her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," Mr. Akagi said and took her hand. "You may call me Shin if you like."

Shane suddenly felt a strange tingling sensation. He frowned and looked around. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, he stared at his feet. _What is this feeling? It's doesn't feel like spiritual energy._

"Shane, is something wrong?" Olivia asked, breaking Shane out of his thoughts. He shook his head and said, "No, everything is fine." Olivia narrowed her eyes and shrugged.

"Well, shall we get started then?" Mr. Akagi said, bringing Shane back into focus. He nodded and they stood next to each other, several feet apart. Olivia sat on the ground and watched as Shane and Mr. Akagi went through the forms of Tai Chi. Just watching their movements made Olivia feel very relaxed. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, letting the morning sun caress her face. A gentle breeze whispered through the trees, creating a soft rustling. At that moment, in that place, everything seemed right with the world.

Shane put his hand on Olivia's shoulder and gently shook her awake. She sat up an yawned. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep silly," Shane said and helped her to her feet. Olivia stretched and was rewarded with several pops and cracks. "Watching your movements made me feel so relaxed. And with the sunshine, it was impossible not to fall asleep," Olivia yawned.

"Well, how about breakfast at my house to help wake you up," Mr. Akagi suggested. Shane and Olivia agreed and together they left the park.

"Wow," Olivia said when they arrived. "This is a nice neighborhood."

"And quiet too," Mr. Akagi added. "There are several other older couples that live here." He showed them inside the house. Olivia looked around and noticed the sparse furnishings. "Kinda reminds me of your house," she said to Shane.

"How's that?" Shane asked.

"You have almost nothing in your house," Olivia said. Shane rolled his eyes and Mr. Akagi chuckled. "Please make yourself at home," he offered before disappearing into the kitchen. Olivia slowly walked around the small house, taking in every little detail. She paused at the picture of the man in ceremonial robes. She squinted and thought he looked somewhat familiar. She stopped again when she came to a picture of a beautiful looking woman. Above the door, Shane noticed something he hadn't seen before. "Mr. Akagi, is this sword yours?" he asked.

Mr. Akagi poked his head out of the kitchen and looked to where Shane was pointing. "Oh that? I picked it up a long time ago. You can look at it if you want too," Mr Akagi said.

Shane reached above the door and lifted the sword off its display rack to examine it. The scabbord was a dark teal color with a brass cap on the end. The hilt wrap was also dark teal with gold and silver strands woven through the string. Shane grasped the hilt and his his hands began to tingle. As he began to pull the sword out of the scabbard, the tingling sensation increased, numbing his arms. Shane pulled the sword free and examined the blade. Etched in the metal were patterns of quarter and half circles, almost like rolling ocean waves topped with foam. He carefully swung the sword around and noted the blade was well balanced, before replacing it in the scabbard. Shane put the sword back above the door and noticed Olivia standing at his side.

"Did you feel it too?" Shane whispered. Olivia nodded. "What do you suppose it is?" Shane asked. Olivia shrugged in reply.

"Heh. Young people are always distracted by shiny objects," Mr. Akagi said. Olivia and Shane turned around and saw the table was already set up and Mr. Akagi sitting patiently.

"Sorry about that," Shane said sheepishly, and sat at the table. While they were eating, Olivia said, "That lady in the picture, is that your wife?" Mr. Akagi looked at the picture and nodded. "She's very pretty," Olivia added.

"Yes she is, isn't she?" Mr. Akagi said with a gleam in his eye. Noticing this, Olivia said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any painful memories."

"That's all right young lady," Mr. Akagi assured her. "So what's your relationship with this fellow here?" he asked suddenly. Shane coughed in his drink, spilling it everywhere. Olivia giggled. "We're just friends," she said.

"Oh is that right? I never thought this bum could get such an attractive lady anyway," Mr. Akagi said, pointing at Shane.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Shane asked angrily. Olivia's face turned bright red. Mr. Akagi laughed so hard, tears began streaming down his face. "You two remind me of my wife and I," he said, wiping his face with a handkerchief.

When they were done eating, Shane and Olivia cleared the table and washed the dishes while Mr. Akagi sat at the table sipping tea.

"Where did you find this guy?" Olivia asked. Shane handed her a plate and said, "I was out wandering one day and I found him at the park doing Tai Chi."

Olivia rinsed and dried the plate, placing it with the others. "Well, I really like him," she said. "I feel very comfortable around him."

"I know what you mean," Shane said, picking up another plate. _What is that sword?_ Shane thought to himself. _I've never felt that from a sword other than Tsukuyomi. Does that mean that sword is a Soul Slayer? How is that possible? Just who is Shin Akagi anyway?_

"Um, hello? Earth to Shane?" Olivia waved her hand in front of Shane's face, but received no reply. She put her hands on her hips and pouted. "If you keep scrubbing that plate, you'll put a hole in it," she said. With evil in her eye, Olivia stepped back and snapped Shane in the behind with her towel. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?" Shane asked, rubbing his butt.

"Just what planet do you think you're on anyway?" Olivia asked. Shane stared down into the soapy water. "Hey, stay with me," Olivia said, shaking his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking about that sword," Shane said. "The only sword I've ever felt resonate like that is Tsukuyomi."

"So you think that sword is a Soul Slayer?" Olivia asked. Shane nodded his head. "If that's true, where is its owner?" Olivia asked.

"What if Mr. Akagi is a former shinigami?" Shane asked. "It's not uncommon for shinigami to be permanently sent to the Real World."

Olivia pulled a plate out of the rinse water and thought for a moment. "If that's true, then what are the circumstances behind Mr. Akagi being here?"

Shane suddenly felt like a cold, heavy blanket was surrounding him. Olivia gasped and dropped the plate. Shane caught it before it broke and put it on the counter.

"Shane," Olivia whispered and collapsed. Shane caught her before she hit the ground and carried her out of the kitchen. Mr. Akagi jumped to his feet when he saw Shane carrying Olivia. "What happened?" he asked.

"Olivia's been sick recently," Shane said. "She has medicine back at my house."

"Should we call the doctor?" Mr. Akagi asked. Shane saw his face was lined with concern. "No, she'll be all right," Shane assured him and laid Olivia on the floor. Her eyes opened a few seconds later. "What happened?" she asked.

"You had a moment and passed out," Shane said, giving her a look. Olivia understood his meaning and turned to Mr. Akagi. "I'm sorry to worry you like that," she said. "I guess this means we should be going."

Mr. Akagi helped Olivia to her feet. "Are you sure you're okay? I'd feel bad if something happened to you."

Olivia smiled and said, "I appreciate your concern." She turned to Shane and added, "We should get going. There are some other things we have to take care of today." They bid Mr. Akagi goodbye and left the house.


	17. The Devil And The Darkness Round 2

When they rounded the corner, Shane pulled out his phone.

"The tracker is off the charts," he said. He looked around and said, "I can't tell where it's coming from." Shane's phone began to ring and he answered it. "Spirit aura type confirmed: Arrancar. Limit release authorized."

"Understood," Shane replied and hung up. "Looks like this is for real," he said, and started running with Olivia right behind.

When they reached the park, Shane skidded to a stop. The air was still and nothing was moving. The air was thick with tension, waiting for something to happen. Shane suddenly grabbed Olivia and jumped to the side, just as the ground where they were standing exploded. Shane swallowed a piece of Soul Candy and jumped to his feet in his spirit form. He reached inside his robe and put on the gloves Yoruichi gave him.

"What was that?" Olivia asked, appearing next to Shane in spirit form. Her supply bag was slung over her shoulder and she carried her sealed Soul Slayer in her left hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Shane could see her hand slightly shaking. He put his hand on hers and gave a slight squeeze of reassurance.

"They're here," Olivia whispered gravely.

Out of the dust walked a familiar person. She had traded her black shinigami uniform for a sleeveless white one that matched her pale skin and tied around the waist with a black sash. Her hard, cold eyes showed little care for her former friends.

"It's been a while, Akuma," Shane said. Akuma smirked and tilted her head to the side. "I see you're just the same as always," she said.

"Hello Akuma. It's nice to see you again," Olivia said curtly. Akuma put her hands out and said, "Hail, hail, the gang's all here. I want you to meet some new friends of mine." Two more people appeared at Akuma' side. One of them Shane recognized. "Hey, I remember you," he said. "You're Luna de Somethingoranother, right?"

Luna's eyes became very cold. "Your very presence brings humiliation upon me. I'll surely kill you this time."

The other person was tall, taller than Akuma, and impossibly huge. His uniform seemed to barely contain his enormous muscle mass. His mask covered his head, leaving a space for his lower face. Shane assumed the two narrow slits in the mask were eye holes. "This guy here doesn't talk much, but we call him El Destructor," Akuma said. She raised her hand in the air and said, "And of course, we can't forget all the mindless minions." Numerous portals opened and countless hollows began streaming into the Real World.

Shane's fists tightened and Olivia gasped. "Can you take care of the hollows?" Shane asked.

"I think so," Olivia said. She held her Soul Slayer to her chest and said, "It's been a while since we've fought together." Olivia ran her hand over the sheath. The hollows came in to attack, but Shane flash stepped away and countered. The hollows dissolved into spirit particles and disappeared. Shane moved in closer to Akuma, but Luna suddenly appeared in his way.

"Hey! Why are you doing this?" Shane shouted at Akuma.

"Do not ignore me!" Luna shouted and swung for his head. Shane moved his head to the side and used Luna's momentum to push her away. Shane moved toward Akuma again, but Luna was right by his side.

"I don't have time for you!" Shane growled. He swung half-heartily at Luna and she dodged away. "How dare you mock me!" Luna raged and drew her sword from over her right shoulder, swinging at Shane. Shane pushed Luna's sword away with his left hand and gave her a hard blow to the face with his right elbow. Luna's head snapped around and her eyes clouded briefly. Shane flash stepped away from Luna and was met by a wall of hollows.

"Get out of my way!" Shane shouted. As he reached for his sword, a leather-like rope wrapped itself around his wrist. Shane turned his head to see Luna holding the other end. She gave a tug and Shane was violently jerked backwards. Luna swung Shane around like a sling, then flung him to the ground with great force. Shane hit the ground and bounced to his feet. With his free hand, he wiped a thin trickle of blood from his mouth. "You're really starting to annoy me," Shane said. He drew his sword with his free hand and cut the rope.

"I don't know you very well, but I loathe your very existence," Luna said, eyes burning with hatred.

"Ouch lady. Those are some strong words," Shane replied. He drew his other sword and traced lazy patterns in the air. "You remember the last time we fought?" he asked.

"I try very hard to forget," Luna said. She began to slowly circle Shane, quietly, stealthily, like a hunter cornering its prey.

"You said you wanted to see what a released Soul Slayer looked like," Shane said. He worked his arms around and rolled his head around.

"No you don't!" Luna shouted and jumped toward Shane.

"Rise, Tsukuyomi," Shane said and touched the ends of his swords together. Too late, Luna was pushed back by the release of Shane's spirit power. _His spirit is different from the last time,_ she noted. _It is stronger, focused, more refined. This is not the same man I fought before._ For the first time, a tiny seed of fear was planted in the back of Luna's mind.

Shane spun Tsukuyomi around his hand. The twin blades sliced through the air with barely a whisper. He caught his sword in his hand and held it in front of him. "This is my Soul Slayer," he said.

Luna switched her grip on her own short sword and hunched over, ready to attack. "I have never seen a weapon like that before," she said.

Shane shrugged and hefted Tsukuyomi in his hand. "It is pretty unique."

 _Let's end this quickly,_ Dark Tsukuyomi whispered in Shane's mind. Luna rushed at Shane and he moved to meet her. Before he had taken two steps, Shane tossed Tsukuyomi high in the air. Luna took her eyes off Shane for a split second to follow the sword. Seizing the opportunity, Shane stepped into Luna, grabbed her sword hand and threw her over his shoulder. When Luna hit the ground, Shane shifted his grip on her arm and put his knee in her back. Luna cried out in pain as Shane locked her shoulder joint and bent her arm painfully behind her. Shane grabbed her other arm and pinned it to her side.

"Way of Binding No.7 Crawling Rope," Shane called out and a length of gold colored rope wrapped itself around Luna's body. Shane stood up and caught the falling Tsukuyomi before it pierced Luna through the spine.

"I'd like to fight you, but there's something I have to do first," Shane said and flash stepped away. Luna began to shake violently with anger.

Things were not looking very good for Olivia. She was surrounded by many hollows and trying her best to fight back. Mostly she was trying to avoid being stepped on and squished. "Way of Destruction No. 31 Red Flame Cannon," Olivia called out and shot many red fireballs at hollows, trying to create some space. Several hollows disappeared, but more took their place. A particularly large hollow reached for Olivia, but she ducked and ran between its legs.

She was able to distance herself from the majority of the hollows. "Okay, I can do this," Olivia blew out a breath and concentrated. She began to mutter a lengthy incantation and made several hand signs. When she was ready, Olivia opened her eyes. The hollows began to surround her again. She looked around and drew a mental circle around herself, about 20 feet in diameter. "Okay hollows, come and get me," Olivia said.

The hollows closed closer and closer. Their cries were deafening and Olivia could feel them breathing down her neck. When the hollows crossed her invisible line, Olivia made one more hand sign, raised her hand in the air and shouted, "Way of Destruction No. 65 Meteor!"

Many flaming rocks began to fall around Olivia and annihilate the hollows. The rocks impacted the ground with tremendous force, throwing dirt and debris high in the air, making it difficult to see. All around her, hollows were crying out in pain and disappearing. The rocks stopped falling and the dust in the air began to clear. Olivia could see that her kido spell had taken care of most of the larger hollows and the ones flying above her.

"Well that worked well," Olivia said. Several smaller hollows lept at her, but she avoided them easily. Olivia took off her supply bag and set it on the ground. With her sword in her left hand, Olivia grasped the hilt with her right hand and pulled it free. She tossed the sheath at her supply bag and set up a barrier around her belongings. Olivia ran her hand lovingly over the polished blade. Her sword was not like other Soul Slayers. While others resembled katana, hers was closer to a jian. The blade was several inches shorter, thinner and double edged. A small gold tassel hung freely from the pommel. "Please, lend me some of your power today," she whispered. A hollow lunged at her, but Olivia moved aside and made several quick, precise cuts on the hollow. The hollow's mask broke into pieces and the hollow disappeared.

Other hollows tried to attack Olivia, but her fluid, graceful movements kept her out of danger. Her Soul Slayer danced through the air, cutting and slicing hollows left and right. When the last hollow disappeared, Olivia was finally able to stop and catch her breath. She began to cough violently and pain shot through her body. _I guess I strained myself too much,_ Olivia thought sadly. She took several deep breaths to try and calm herself.

A wave of dark, heavy spirit energy suddenly engulfed Olivia, crushing the air out of her lungs. Her eyes went wide as she struggled to breathe. She looked around and noticed the other Arrancar that had appeared with Akuma. _This must be the power of an Arrancar,_ Olivia thought. She looked down at her sword and saw her hand shaking. _What am I afraid of?_ Olivia asked herself. _I don't think I can beat this Arrancar by myself._ She looked around, but Shane was nowhere to be found. She turned back to the Arrancar. _He didn't go chasing Shane. Does that mean he came here for me?_

Olivia stood up and pushed away her fear. She took a deep breath and walked out to meet the Arrancar. As she drew closer, Olivia began to realize how physically imposing he was. _He's the biggest person I've ever seen. I bet he's bigger than Captain Komamura or Zaraki Kenpachi._

The small, frail shinigami healer and the enormous hollow stared at each other. Olivia broke the silence and said, "I know it probably doesn't matter, but do you have a name?" Silence. Olivia cocked her head to the side and waved her hand in the arrancar's face. "Can you even see me?" Olivia asked. The arrancar held his gargantuan fist out and flicked a finger in Olivia's direction. The displaced air created a sonic boom that nearly knocked Olivia to the ground The wind pulled violently at her clothing and Olivia felt like she'd been run over by a truck. _So powerful!_ she thought.

Olivia countered with a Red Flame Cannon. Nothing. The fireball didn't even singe the arrancar's clothing. Olivia tried more kido spells, each more powerful than the last, but to no avail. The arrancar didn't dodge, didn't move, didn't grunt in pain or show any trace of emotion. He began to walk after Olivia with even strides. No matter which way Olivia turned, he followed her methodically. Olivia had to admire the arrancar's single mindedness and focus. "I bet you're the type who doesn't stop until you get what you're after," Olivia called out. The arrancar didn't reply, but Olivia expected he wouldn't.

As Olivia turned to run away again, she was caught by another coughing fit, this one worse than the last. Olivia collapsed to the ground, struggling to breathe. _Why does my illness always flare up at the most inopportune time?_ she thought. A shadow appeared over her and the ground shook beneath the arrancar's heavy footsteps. Olivia shakily stood on her feet and stumbled a few steps away. She turned to face the arrancar, who had stopped.

Olivia clutched her sword tightly in her hand and gently held the tip of the blade in her other hand. "Please, fight with me one more time," she whispered to her sword. The arracar reached for Olivia.

"Illuminate the heavens, Amaterasu," Olivia called out to her Soul Slayer. Her sword began to glow with a brilliant light. A wave of peace engulfed Olivia and embraced her like a warm blanket. The sword began to change shape, growing longer and thinner. When the light faded, Olivia was holding a long wooden staff with a brass cap on one end and topped with a gold colored circle on the other with seven small points arranged around the outer edge of the hoop in a star pattern. Several gold and silver charms dangled from the hoop, jingling slightly in the wind. The wooden staff was braided with gold streamers that started at the top near the hoop and floated freely around the middle. The wooden staff was inlaid with strange gold symbols.

Olivia held the staff at her side. The brass end cap made a sharp _CLICK_ sound on the pavement. She breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at her staff. "I don't remember the last time Amaterasu was released like this," Olivia admitted. She grew serious and looked back to the Arrancar. "Shall we?" she asked. The arrancar said nothing and moved toward Olivia, who turned to run.

Olivia looked over her shoulder to make sure the arrancar was following. Olivia stopped, turned around and touched the end of the staff to the ground in front of her. Two glowing yellow balls appeared and bounced around before settling on the ground. When the arrancar stepped near one of them, they exploded. The arrancar continued walking as if nothing happened. Olivia noticed his pants were singed slightly.

"So it is slightly more effective," she said to herself. Olivia turned and ran to the right of where she was and stopped. The arrancar turned to follow. Olivia held Amaterasu out in front of her and said, "Rising Sun: Thunder Crest." Amaterasu floated out of Olivia's hand and the tip quickly drew a sigil on the ground. When it was complete, the the sigil floated forward a few feet, then settled on the ground as Amaterasu returned to Olivia's hand. The arrancar stepped into the sigil and was immediately trapped by lightning. The arrancar's body began to twitch from the electricity. Olivia touched her staff to the ground and more yellow bombs appeared, exploding at the arrancar's feet.

Olivia didn't wait for the smoke to clear and was on the move again, setting up more bombs. The arrancar emerged from the smoke, his clothing torn and burnt at the edges, but otherwise unaffected. More hollows began to appear, quickly complicating things for Olivia. She looked around and sighed. "I could cast Meteor again, but that spell takes time." She stole a glance at the Arrancar who was quickly approaching. "I'll just have to try that then," she said. Olivia set up more bombs to trap the arrancar and dispose of some of the smaller hollows. The air soon became cloudy from all the dirt and debris from the explosions. Olivia set up another Thunder Crest and waited. When the arrancar became trapped, Olivia held Amaterasu out so the top was pointed at the arrancar. "Morning Sun, Solar Flare," Olivia called out. A burning ball of blue plasma was summoned that looked like a small sun, one meter in diameter. It slowly floated forth and exploded violently when it came in contact with the arrancar.

With this small opening, Olivia whispered the incantation, made the hand signs, and raised her hand in the air. For the second time that day, burning rocks fell from the sky, obliterating everything around Olivia.

Olivia emerged from the cloud of smoke coughing and wiping the dirt from her eyes. She blinked her eyes and Shane appeared in front of her.

"Are you doing okay?" he asked. He noticed Amaterasu and whistled. "It's been a long time since I've seen you release your Soul Slayer," he said.

Olivia nodded in agreement. "It seems to have helped," she said. The smoke finally cleared, revealing the devastation. The grass was charred black and the ground was covered with large craters, some with small fires burning randomly. Shane blinked in surprise. "It's always the quiet ones who surprise you," he said.

Heavy footsteps shook the ground. Olivia and Shane turned around and saw the large arrancar moving toward them. His clothing was mostly burned away, but he didn't appear to have any scratches or markings on him.

"I don't know what to say," Olivia said with a shrug. "He's taken everything I've thrown at him and just kept coming." Shane suddenly pushed Olivia to the side and blocked Luna's wild attack. Shane could see the fury burning in her eyes and her anger radiated like a wildfire. With effort, Shane pushed her back.

"Now what?" Olivia asked. Shane glanced back and forth between the two arrancar, his mind working furiously. _Where's Akuma? Where did she go?_ "I've got an idea, but you'll be pretty defenseless," he said. He told Olivia his idea and she paled slightly. "Can you do it?" Shane asked. Olivia gathered her courage and nodded her head.

"I'm sorry for asking so much of you," Shane said. Olivia waved him off. "We've been in worse places before," she said.

"Really? I think this one ranks near the top," Shane said. He dodged Luna's sudden attack and jumped away, Luna right on his heels. Olivia took a deep breath and turned to the other arrancar, who had become uncomfortably close. Olivia smmoned another Solar Flare that exploded right in his face. She backed up and set a Thunder Crest trap with bombs before retreating again. When the arrancar set off the trap, Olivia held out Amaterasu and called out, "Noon Day Sun, Light Crest." Amaterasu floated out of Olivia's hand and rotated parallel to the ground, drew a sigil in the air before returning to Olivia's hand. Streaks of light shot out of the sigil and hit the arrancar. Olivia retreated back further, and pointed Amaterasu to the air.

Meanwhile, Shane was fighting with Luna, who was so enraged, she forgot all about technique and finesse, and was simply trying to bash Shane to bits with brute force. Shane struggled under the onslaught. With a mighty shout, Luna raised her sword overhead with both hands, intending to cleave Shane in two. Sensing an opening, Shane thrust his hand into Luna's solar plexus and fired a Red Flame Cannon shot point blank. Luna staggered back and charged at Shane again.

 _What happened to Akuma?_ Shane thought as he dodged Luna's attack. Sensing his distraction, Luna screamed at him, "Why won't you take me seriously?"

"Huh?" Shane said, distracted from his thoughts.

"EXACTLY MY POINT!" Luna shouted, trembling with rage "Do you think so little of me that you just ignore me?"

Shane was taken aback. "Is that what this is about? You think I'm not taking you seriously?" he asked. In reply, Luna thrust two fingers in his direction and fired a Cero at him. Shane flash stepped away, dodging the Cero. Shane glanced down at Olivia and saw she was ready. "All right, have it your way," Shane said. He clapped his hands together with Tsukuyomi balanced in the crook of his thumbs. "Tsukuyomi Full Moon Technique," Shane said. His body began to glow silvery-white as Tsukuyomi used Shane's spirit power to increase his abilities.

"Finally, you are serious!" Luna gloated as Shane charged at her. She met him head on and their bodies collided together, creating an explosion of spirit power. Shane's movements were faster, more powerful and Luna gleefully matched his intensity. Shane feigned a backhand strike and twisted his body to land a powerful roundhouse heel kick that sent Luna falling back to the ground. Shane cocked his arm back and hurled Tsukuyomi like a javelin with all his might.

Luna landed on the ground in front of the other arrancar. She stood up and tried to move, but found her pant leg was pinned to the ground by Tsukuyomi.

" _Now Olivia!_ " Shane shouted. Luna's head snapped around her eyes grew wide with terror.

Olivia raised her Soul Slayer, Amaterasu, to the heavens and tilted her head back. Her eyes were closed in deep concentration as she focused her remaining spiritual energy through Amaterasu. Several of the gold symbols began to glow and the charms and the ribbon stood on end. Olivia began floating several inches off the ground. When her sprit energy was raised to its fullest. Olivia opened her eyes and called out, "Twilight Sun, Starfall."

The ground around Olivia's feet began to crackle with energy and the sky became dark. The ground started to tremble and Luna looked to the sky. Large pieces of flaming rock began to fall around the two arrancar. A giant ball of burning energy filled the sky and fell on the arrancar. The explosion ripped the ground apart and threw a mushroom cloud of dust into the sky.

Olivia's feet touched the ground and she collapsed, trembling. Amaterasu began to glow, and in a flash of light, re-sealed itself into a sword. Olivia was breathing heavily as sweating profusely from the strain. She was dirty, her clothes were torn and several cuts began to show on her arms. Amaterasu slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground.

Shane landed in the midst of the enormous crater left from Olivia's technique. There was no trace of the arrancar, but Shane was sure they were still alive. He pulled Tsukuyomi out of the dirt and called out to Olivia. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Olivia replied, standing shakily to her feet. She suddenly bent over in a coughing fit and Shane ran to her side. Before he could reach her, Olivia suddenly arched back, her face wide open with shock.

A long, cold blade suddenly protruded from her chest. With her last seconds of life, Olivia looked down and slowly reached up and touched the sword coated with her blood. Her head slumped forward and her arms fell limply to the side. Olivia's body was lowered to a kneeling position. From there, Akuma placed her foot on Olivia's back and with no remorse, pulled the long, wicked sword free from Olivia's body.

He felt as if his heart was stabbed with a hot knife and ripped from his body. All the energy drained out of Shane's body. His legs felt as if they were made of lead, impossible to move. He felt deflated, like a balloon with all the air let out. Shane's mind was overloaded with the shock of that horrific sight that will plague him for the rest of his life. Shane began to walk mindlessly, completely oblivious to everything going on around him. He heard nothing, he felt nothing, he only saw what was in front of him. Shane gently kneeled next to Olivia's broken and lifeless body. He didn't care that his clothes were now stained with her lifeblood. A lump formed in his throat and grew until he had trouble breathing, but the tears would not come. Shane reached out and carefully held Olivia in his arms. Her eyes were closed and her hair tosseled carelessly. Shane used his sleeve to wipe the blood off Olivia's face.

Akuma watched curiously from a distance. She sighed and wiped the blood off her Soul Slayer and placed it back in the scabbard. "I just don't understand you," she said. Akuma turned to walk away and called back, "Maybe I don't want to fight you. You're so weak, you couldn't even save dear Olivia." Akuma opened a gate back to Hueco Mundo and disappeared with all the remaining Hollows.

Shane was now alone. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't think. He sat there and stared blankly into space, holding Olivia's body close to him. He was empty, devoid of all feeling and emotion. All the grief, rage, pain, sorrow, loss, and hopelessness churned together in a heavy ball of ice that settled in his core and radiated cold emptiness through his body.


	18. Grief

As if moved by invisible strings, Shane gently laid Olivia's body on the ground slowly stood to his feet. His eyes were glazed and unfocused as he tucked her Soul Slayer in her medical relief bag and slung the bag over his shoulder. He picked up Olivia's body and stabbed the air with Tsukuyomi. With a twisting motion, the doors to Soul Society opened and two hell butterflies fluttered out. Shane walked through the doors and they shut behind him.

When he arrived back in Soul Society, many people gasped and gave him strange looks, but he didn't noticed and didn't care. Shane's mind had no control over his body, but his feet knew where to go. Before long, he reached the Relief Station and strode inside. He walked right past the startled girl at the counter and continued down the hall. At the end, he turned right and walked slowly up the stairs to the fourth floor. At the end of the hall were two large doors emblazoned with the number 4. Without hesitation, Shane pushed his way in.

Captain Unohana looked up from her desk with mild interest. Her lieutenant, Isane Kotetsu, showed a bit more emotion.

"What do you think you are doing?" Lieutenant Kotetsu hissed. "This is the Captain's private quarters. You can't just barge in here!"

With his face devoid of any emotion, Shane simply stared at Lieutenant Kotetsu. Isane was startled at Shane's behavior.

"Settle down Isane," Captain Unohana said gently. Isane sighed and held her thoughts to herself. Unohana turned her attention to Shane and said, "Please explain yoursef, Lieutenant Akiyama."

Shane said nothing and carefully laid Olivia on the floor. He stood up, turned around and walked out the door.

"W-Wait a minute!" Isane called after Shane. The door clicked shut, leaving the captain and lieutenant alone.

"Who does he think he is?" Isane muttered to herself. "The nerve of that guy!"

Captain Unohana stood up and knelt next to Olivia's body. Her eyes grew sad as she looked over Olivia's body. When she found the wound in Olivia's chest, she stopped. "Isane, come here please," she said. Isane knelt down and looked where Unohana was examining. "This is a Soul Slayer wound," she gasped.

"Yes," Unohana agreed. "But who's Soul Slayer made this wound?"

Isane looked long and hard at her captain. "You don't think..." she trailed off.

Captain Unohana shook her head. "I do not think this wound was made by Lieutenant Akiyama's hand. However, after recent events, I am not so sure any more."

"Lieutenant Akiyama was very distraught when he came in," Isane noted. "Something must have happened."

"That is for a different time," Captain Unohana said, turning her attention back to Olivia. "Right now, we have a funeral to prepare."

Isane bowed her head in acknowledgment. "Yes Captain."

Shane suddenly felt very tired and very old. He walked back to the Squad 13 barracks, ignoring the curious glances he was getting. As he was entering the building, Captain Ukitake was exiting. He was deep in thought and clearly worried about something, so he didn't see Shane and bumped into him. "Oh! Please excuse me," he said. He was taken aback when he realized who it was. "Shane! What are you doing here?" Captain Ukitake asked. Shane ignored him and quietly walked past. Ukitake frowned and watched him go.

Shane opened the door to his room and shut the door behind him. He closed the blinds and put Olivia's supply bag on the floor next to his desk. Shane took off his glasses and laid down on the bed. The events of the day and heavy emotions finally took their toll on Shane's body and he fell asleep.

Shane woke the next morning to the insistent knocking on his door. He rolled over on one side and tossed a pillow at the door. "Go away! I'm dead!" Shane called out, then collapsed back onto the bed.

The door burst open and 3rd Seat Kyone Kotetsu stomped into the room. "Do you have any idea how late it is?" she demanded.

"Late enough for you to come down here and wake me up?" Shane asked. Kyone's face twisted with fury and her teeth ground together. She grabbed him by the shirt, pulled him close and shouted in his face, "You are such a lazy, no good bum! Why did the captain ever make you his lieutenant?"

Shane shrugged. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" Kyone threw Shane to the floor and kicked him in the shin as hard as she could. "Get up and meet the captain in the Meeting Hall, you lazy bum!" She stormed out of the room, grumbling to herself and rubbing her foot. Shane sighed and got up. He put on his glasses and looked himself over in the mirror, making a half-hearted attempt to smooth out the wrinkles in his uniform.

As he was walking down the hall, Shane began to think. _What is so important the Captain wants to see me right now? Did something happen? He probably wants details of what happened yesterday. Is it too late for breakfast? I'm hungry..._

Shane opened the doors to the Meeting Hall and saw Captain Ukitake standing in front of a large monitor. It hissed with static, then the picture cleared, revealing Captain Hitsugaya and the rest of his makeshift squad. Shane stayed in the background, unseen by all and listened in.

"Ukitake? Where is the Commander General?" Captain Hitsugaya asked.

"I'm here instead," Ukitake explained. Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed. "Why?" Captain Ukitake dropped a bombshell. "Because I was the last one to see Orihime Inoue before she entered the gate."

Shane's eyes grew wide and he heard the others gasp. _Oh. So that's what this is about,_ Shane thought. His mind began working in overdrive as he continued to listen to the conversation. Captain Ukitake went on to give his thoughts on Orihime's disappearance. "She was either kidnapped or murdered by an Arrancar." _She was probably kidnapped,_ Shane thought. _Aizen wants her alive for whatever he's planning._ "According to our information, Orihime was attacked by an Arrancar while in transit between here in Soul Society and the Real World, then disappeared."

"Don't give me that crap!" Ichigo exploded. "How can you say she'd dead without any proof. Here, look!" He held up his right hand. "My hand was injured badly in the fight yesterday. No one could heal it! Today it's fine, not even a scar! And I can still feel Orihime's spiritual aura!"

A dense, overbearing presence snapped Shane out of his thoughts as Commander General Yamamoto entered the room. "If what you say is true, Orihime Inoue is still alive," he rasped. "But this means she's a traitor." With that, Shane felt like speaking up, but decided to hold his thoughts to see what the Commander General had to say.

"If she were kidnapped, she would have not been able to see you," Yamamoto said. "As it is, healing your injuries and disappearing means she joined the Arrancar of her own free will." _I doubt it,_ Shane thought.

"Why you-" Ichigo shouted, but Renji held him back. Renji then asked for permission to go to Hueco Mundo to retrieve Orihime.

Captain Commander Yamamoto banged his walking stick on the floor. "Denied!" Everyone gasped, but Shane expected that reaction. "It is clear that the Arrancar are preparing for battle. All members of Captain Hitsugaya's Expeditionary Force are to return to Soul Society to fortify our defenses."

Shane could see the disbelief and dejection written on all of their faces. "Are you telling us to abandon Orihime?" Rukia spoke up.

"Exactly," Commander General Yamamoto said forcefully.

"Then I won't be able to follow those orders," Rukia said defiantly.

Unfazed, Yamamoto replied, "I expected such a response. That is why I have taken appropriate measures."

Behind everyone, a gate opened and Captains Kuchiki and Kenpachi Zaraki appeared. Their faces were grim. "You heard him. Time to go," Zaraki said.

Frustrated at the inability to do anything, Rukia and Renji gave up. Ichigo stared at the floor. "Fine. I get it. I won't get help from Soul Society." He looked up at the screen and stared the Commander General square in the eye. "Tell me how to get to Hueco Mundo so I can rescue Orihime myself."

"NO!" Yamamoto said forcefully. "We'll need your strength in the upcoming battle. I won't let you go off and die on your own." With that, the transmission was over. Captain Ukitake bowed as the Commander General left the room. Shane watched him leave. "So is that true?" Shane asked his captain.

Ukitake nodded. "I am afraid so."

Shane stepped forward and said, "I agree with your theory about Orihime being kidnapped, but I don't think she went willingly."

Captain Ukitake folded his arms and cocked his head to the side. "What do you think?"

"You've met Orihime and you know what kind of person she is. She is very kind and cares deeply about her friends," Shane explained. "So when the Arrancar showed up, she didn't go without a fight. She was never given the chance."

Ukitake frowned. "I'm not sure I follow you."

Shane took a deep breath. "Imagine this. You are traveling with two body guards when suddenly, you are attacked by a powerful enemy. Your body guards are knocked out and you enemy says 'Come with me.' You follow so far?" Ukitake nodded and Shane continued. "Your enemy sees your hesitation and says, 'Okay, if you don't come with me, I'll kill your friends.' You realize that he or his cohorts are easily capable of doing just that. What do you do?" Shane paused for dramatic effect. "You go with him. 'Okay, I'll go with you, just don't hurt my friends.' you say."

"But you have no guarantee that your enemy will keep his word," Ukitake argued.

"But if you are Orihime Inoue, this is a non issue," Shane argued. "She would do anything, even go with an Arrancar against her will if it meant keeping her friends safe."

"But how do you explain the healing of Kurosaki's injuries?" Ukitake asked. Shane threw his hands up and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe the Arrancar told her she could visit one person before she left out of the goodness of his non-heart." Shane then grew serious. "Anyway, this is what I believe happened." Shane had a sudden thought and his brow furrowed.

"What's wrong?" Ukitake asked. The light came on in Shane's mind and he snapped his fingers, startling Ukitake. "That's it! It makes sense now!" Shane took a step forward and said, "Why else would the Arrancar attack this early? To provide a distraction for the kidnapping!"

"But Orihime was here in Soul Society," Ukitake said.

"Ah, but you forget who we are dealing with here," Shane said. "Aizen probably figured Urahara would try to keep Orihime out of sight to prevent this type of situation." Shane began counting on his fingers. "So Aizen has some of his Arrancar appear in the Real World, cause some trouble, and what happens? Orihime, in a hurry to help her friends, walks straight into Aizen's trap." Shane clapped his hands together to prove his point.

Ukitake was impressed. "I can see how that would make sense. Once again you have proven you worth to me." Shane shrugged. "Well, it makes sense to me." He became serious and said, "You know this won't keep Ichigo from going to Hueco Mundo, right?" Ukitake nodded sadly. "We will just have to hope everything works out in the end."

"If we live long enough to see the end," Shane added darkly. He turned and said, "I'm going to meet them at the gate."

"No." Ukitake said. His reply brought Shane up short. Curiously, he glanced back at his captain. Ukitake wore a stern expression. "Is something wrong?" Shane asked.

"I want you to tell me what happened yesterday," Ukitake said. "Captain Unohana said you paid her a quite unexpected visit." Shane's face fell and his body visibly sagged. "Do I have to?" he whined. Ukitake motioned for him to follow. Shane followed Captain Ukitake to his private quarters. Ukitake sat behind his little desk and Shane knelt on the floor.

"Begin," Ukitake said and motioned with his hand.

Shane sighed. "Yesterday, Olivia and I encountered Akuma Izu, two Arrancars and numerous hollows. We fought off most of the hollows and fought briefly with the two Arrancar." Shane swallowed and clenched his hands. Ukitake waited patiently for Shane to compose himself. "During the fight with the Arrancar, Akuma appeared and..." Shane cleared his throat and blinked rapidly. "And killed Olivia." Shane sniffed and hastily wiped away the tears.

"Captain Unohana said Olivia was pierced through the heart with a Soul Slayer," Ukitake said softly. "Since you failed to give any explanation, we were forced to consider the possibility that you might have been the one."

Shane wanted to scream in protest, but nodded his head in agreement. "One of Izanami's abilities is not only to steal an opponent's Spirit Power but life energy as well," he said.

Ukitake put down his writing utensil and folded his hands on the table. "Considering the current state of Soul Society, I am ordering you to take three days of rest. If I or anyone else see you doing what looks like work or your job, you will be confined to quarters for a week. Understand?"

Shane was taken aback. "But why? There isn't time for me to be lounging around doing nothing," he protested.

"You have just experienced the death of someone close to you. I understand that everyone handles grief in their own way," Ukitake said. "I need you to be focused and free from distraction. Taking a few days to recover and heal yourself won't hurt anything." Shane nodded. "If you'll excuse me, I have some things I want to do." Ukitake dismissed him and Shane left.


	19. Shattered Inside But I Will Move Forward

The first thing he did was go to the Relief Station. He asked the girl at the counter the whereabouts of Captain Unohana. The girl pointed the direction and Shane headed off. To his mild surprise, the captain was in her quarters. Shane stood outside and politely knocked on the door. "Come in," a pleasant voice replied.

Shane opened the door and went inside. Captain Unohana was at her desk, Lieutenant Kotetsu standing behnd her. Shane stopped several paces in front of the desk and bowed politely and said, "Please pardon my intrusion Captain."

"What is it this time Lieutenant Akiyama?" Unohana asked. Shane stood up and said, "I wish to apologize for my behavior yesterday. I realize it was very rude to barge into your private quarters unannounced. And I am sorry for the way I handled the situation. At the time, I wasn't thinking properly."

Captain Unohana smiled. "I understand. Your apology is accepted Lieutenant Akiyama. But don't let it happen again. You might have to come here for treatment." Although her face was pleasant, her last words carried a heavy threat that made Shane feel about one millimeter tall. "Yes, I understand," he managed to say.

Captain Unohana grew serious and her voice was sad. "Olivia is to be laid to rest today. I'm sure she would appreciate it if you were there."

Shane nodded. "Would it be too much trouble to go to her room and gather her things?"

"You wish to keep mementos?" Unohana asked. Shane shrugged. "Mostly her flower collection. Some of them are very rare and require a lot of attention." Unohana nodded in agreement. "Yes, I agree. You may go to her room and collect some of her things."

Shane bowed again. "Thank you ma'am." He turned and left.

"Is that really the same guy that came here yesterday?" Lieutenant Kotetsu remarked after Shane had gone.

"Grief and sadness affect people differently," Unohana explained.

Shane stood outside Olivia's room. He wanted to go inside, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew that if he opened the door, he would find nothing there. And that was the part that bothered him the most.

"I just don't get it," Shane said to himself. "Why is it so hard to just open the door?"

"Is is because you are afraid of what you will find?" someone asked. Shane turned his head to see Rukia approach. She put her hand on his shoulder and offered a smile. "If you don't open the door, you'll live your whole life wondering what could have been."

Without taking his eyes off Rukia, Shane pushed the door open. The afternoon sun blazed brilliantly through the windows. Shane put his hand up to shield his eyes.

"Oh! I never new Olivia kept flowers!" Rukia said with awe and dashed into the room like a little kid. Shane stepped in the room and looked around. Everything was in its place, as if waiting for Olivia to come back. Rukia was poking curiously through the many plants in the window. "They're so pretty!" She came across several that hadn't bloomed yet and frowned. "Hey Shane, is something wrong with these flowers?" Rukia asked.

"Which ones?" Shane asked. He looked over Rukia's shoulder and saw which ones she was pointing at. "There's nothing wrong with those flowers," Shane said, smiling. "Those are special flowers that only bloom at night."

"Flowers that bloom at night?" Rukia asked. She frowned and gently poked at the flowers with her finger. "Sounds kinda backwards to me. Why wouldn't flowers want to see the sunshine?"

"Well, if I were a flower I'd bloom at night," Shane said, standing up. "I happen to like the night time."

"Why? Because your Soul Slayer is named after the moon?" Rukia chided.

"You want to see a moon?" Shane asked. He turned around, bent over and pretended to pull his pants down. "Look Rukia, it's a full moon!"

"Idiot! What are you doing?" Rukia shouted, turning bright red. Shane couldn't help but laugh. "Well since you're here, mind helping me take these to my room?"

Shane and Rukia carefully put Olivia's plants in boxes and carried them back to the 13th Squad barracks. The trip was spent in silence, neither sure what to say. When they arrived at Shane's room, Shane opened the door and put the boxes on the floor to sort through later. They stood in the middle of the room, silence hanging over them.

"When did you get back?" Rukia asked.

"Yesterday afternoon," Shane replied.

"I must have just missed you then," Rukia said. "You didn't see anything, did you?"

Shane shook his head. "I barely remember making the trip back from the Real World. Everything is like a blur."

"I heard what happened from Captain Ukitake," Rukia said. "It's not your fault you know."

Shane nodded his head. "I know. I'm not blaming myself for what happened." He clenched his fists till his knuckles turned white. "I wish..." He sighed and relaxed his hands. "I'll always have that memory," he said. Rukia watched him for a moment. "You don't have to keep it all inside," she said. "It's okay to show emotion and to be sad."

Silence settled between the two friends and Rukia was sure Shane would be okay. As she turned to leave, Shane called after her, "When are you going after Orihime?"

Rukia stopped and turned to face Shane. Her eyes were cold and narrow. "Are you going to try and stop me?" she threatened.

Shane shrugged. "No," he said, very non-chalont. "Have a good trip and don't die."

Rukia was stunned. "That's not quite the reaction I was expecting," she stammered.

"Well what do you want me to do, lock you away in the Shrine of Penitence again?" Shane asked. "If you've made up your mind to go, then go. Tell Ichigo I said hello and he's still a bum." Rukia simply stared at Shane stupidly. Shane waved a hand in her face. "What are you still doing here? Why haven't you left yet?"

"But, I, that's..." Rukia sputtered. Shane turned her around and pushed her out the door. "Get going already! Sheesh! You're wasting time! Ichigo's probably already in Hueco Mundo getting himself into trouble," he said.

Still not completely comprehending what was happening, Rukia stumbled a few steps down the hall and turned to look back at Shane.

"Hurry up! Get out of here!" Shane shouted and threw his sandal at her. "Don't come back until your friends are safe. In fact, if you fail or die, don't bother coming back. I'll disown you and pretend like I never knew you!"

"Okay I get it already!" Rukia replied and threw his sandal back. She stormed off and Shane breathed a sigh of relief.

The second thing Shane did was take a hot bath. He lay back in the water and closed his eyes. Images and memories of Olivia flashed through his mind. _I miss her so much,_ Shane thought to himself. He opened his eyes and sighed. After he had washed and dried himself, Shane went back to his room and put on a clean uniform. He adjusted himself in the mirror and when he was satisfied, he left the room. On second thought, Shane went back to his room and put his two swords on the display rack on his desk. He left the room a second time. After Shane had left the room, the twin swords began to pulsate with silver-colored energy. On the floor next to the desk, a forgotten sword emitted a faint blip of spiritual energy. The pulsing grew to a steady throbbing and the room was filled with a powerful aura, while the response from the other sword remained very faint.

Two figures appeared in the room. One wore silver colored ceremonial robes with blue embroidery, the other wore dark clothes covered in shadow. Silently, they called out to their fallen companion. At first, the response was faint, but the lone sword began to glow with a golden light and a light ringing sound filled the room. Greatly encouraged, the two persons urged the presence on. The room was filled with a golden light and a third spiritual presence was felt in the room.

"I am grateful," Light Tsukuyomi offered a bow. Dark Tsukuyomi's head nodded in agreement and asked, "So now what?"

There was silence for a moment before Light Tsukuyomi said, "Yes, we agree. Given these circumstances, that would be best."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Dark Tsukuyomi cautioned. "We're still missing an important piece and you have to take into account who we're dealing with."

Silence.

"I have confidence he will be able to make this work," Light Tsukuyomi said.

"Me, not so much," Dark Tsukuyomi added. "We won't know until we find _him_."

Shane walked along the dirt path until he was far away from the Court of Pure Souls and Soukyoku Hill was a small mound on the horizon. The path widened into a large meadow. This was the Valley of Silence, where shinigami are buried. Small burial mounds with stone markers stretched as far as Shane could see. Feeling a bit lost, he began wandering though the grounds. Up ahead, he saw a small gathering of people. Shane made his way to the group and recognized Captain Unohana, her lieutenant, and several others from Squad 4. As he grew closer, the others opened a path and let him through. A lump formed in Shane's throat that quickly grew until he was unable to swallow.

Captain Unohana stood next to the small wooden coffin. Her face was sad and her eyes full of compassion. She quietly stepped aside and Shane took her place next to the coffin. Olivia's body had been cleaned up and the peaceful expression on her face suggested she was merely sleeping, her hands folded across her chest.

Captain Unohana stepped up next to Shane and said, "Her spirit has joined the path of spirits between here and the Real World where, in time, she will be born again as a human."

Shane nodded and sniffed. "Too bad she'll have no memory of this place, or me," he said sadly.

Unohana gently put her hand on his shoulder. "We'll leave you alone. When you are ready, let them know." Shane nodded and Unohana left with the rest of her party.

Shane knelt down beside the coffin and put his elbows on the lip. He folded his hands and rested his chin on his fingers. The afternoon sun was warm on his bare skin and a light breeze whispered through the valley.

"I don't know what to say," Shane croaked. His eyes became wet and he sniffed. "We were opposite in every way," he said. "You were the day and I was the night. You were the yang to my yin." Tears began to fall down his face as he reached out with a trembling hand to caress her face. Her skin was cool to the touch, devoid of any life or feeling.

"We had a lot of good times together. I'm not sorry for anything, and I have no regrets," Shane continued. He stood and dried his face with his sleeve. "I know you don't blame me for what happened, but I will carry that with me for the rest of my life." He bent over and kissed Olivia on the forehead. Shane stood up and tilted his head to the sky and called out in a loud voice, "Please don't forget me! Spirit of Olivia, if you can hear me, don't forget about me!"


	20. A Long Forgotten Promise

Shane went back to his room and changed out of his uniform. He put on plain clothes and a straw shade. He packed a few things into a small bag and set out. He avoided high traffic areas and quietly exited the Court of Pure Souls and set out into the Rukongai. He deliberately made his way past the lower number districts and as he walked, the buildings and became shabbier and more run down, the people less and less well off. Here, he blended in with the people and could hide more easily. He ducked into an alley and consulted his phone.

"It's a good thing I got that new mod for my phone when I did," Shane said, pushing buttons and navigating menus. A small antenna appeared out of the phone and a light began flashing at a steady rate. "With this, I can track traces of my spiritual energy." He looked around, then back to his phone. "I hope enough of it is left for this to work," he added. Shane waved the phone around and watched the display. Nothing. Shane frowned and began walking in a gradually increasing circle.

After searching in this way for several hours, Shane began to lose hope. He put the phone away and began walking in any direction. As he traveled, Shane couldn't help but notice the poverty of the outer districts. _You'd think someone would do something about this, but no,_ Shane thought sadly. He couldn't help but become angry. _I know life isn't always fair, but even in the afterlife? How is this any better than back in the Real World? Some of these people traded one hell for another._

So lost in his thoughts, Shane didn't see the group of young children and almost tripped over them.

"Hey! Watch where you're goin' mister!" a young boy called out. A chorus of voices sang out in agreement. Shane stopped and tilted his shade back. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you all down there," he apologized.

The boy who had spoken up wrinkled his face in annoyance, then turned his attention back to what he was doing. Intrigued, Shane knelt down to look.

"No grownups!" one of the children said and pushed him away. Slightly surprised, Shane was even more curious as to what they were doing. He reached into his bag and dug around. When he found what he was looking for, he walked off down the street.

When he came back, the group of children were still there, occupied by something. Shane leaned over to look. Almost as one, the children turned to look at him. Before they could tell him off again, Shane pulled his hands out from behind his back, holding sweets for all of them.

"Yay! Candy!" the children shouted and mobbed Shane. Laughing, Shane tripped over one of them and fell over. The children were on him in an instant, grabbing and reaching for the candy. Shane playfully fought them off and regained his footing. "Alright, now be still!" Shane told them. The children became restless as Shane passed out the candy to all of them. When the last one was passed out, the children became very animated, jumping around and sucking on candy. Shane didn't try to contain his laughter.

"What's so funny?" one of the children asked him.

"Nothing, it's all right," Shane assured him. He leaned down and asked the boy, "So what was everyone doing over there?" The boy looked around nervously, as if afraid of being found out, motioned for Shane to come closer. Shane tilted his head to the side and the boy whispered, "Looking for treasure!"

Shane's eyes grew wide and he gasped. "No, really!" The boy nodded his head vigorously. "Did you find any?" Shane whispered back. The boy smiled and held his hand out for Shane to see. Shane looked and saw a large beetle, its carapace changing between blue and green in the light.

"Wow! That's really cool!" Shane said. The boy beamed brightly. He grabbed Shane by the hand and led him to where the other children had gathered. When they say Shane, the children became suspicious, but they recognized him as the man who gave them candy and the boy who was leading him. They quickly gathered around. Shane bent down to their level and whispered, "I hear you're looking for treasure,"

"Did Jin tell you?" one of the children asked. The other children began complaining, but Shane quieted them down. "It doesn't matter how I found out. Now, how would you all like to do something for me?" he asked. The children looked at each other, no one saying anything.

"How about if I give you something in return?" Shane asked. Instantly, the children began jumping up and down and raising their voices.

"Shh, or the other grownups will get mad!" Shane said. The children instantly became quiet. "Now," Shane began, "I'm looking for a small girl, about your age. She has short brown hair, big green eyes and her name is Rin. Do any of you know her?" The children looked at each other, then one by one, shook their heads. "Can you help me look for her?" Shane asked.

"Why are you looking for her?" one boy asked. Shane thought for a moment, then said, "I made her a promise I would come look for her one day."

The children gathered around the boy who had spoken up. Shane realized it was the same boy that had yelled at him earlier. Shane figured he was the leader of the group.

The children began discussing Shane's proposal in hushed voices. Shane let them be and wandered off a little ways. As he was staring off into the sky, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down and saw it was the little boy with the beetle.

"You're name is Jin, right?" Shane asked and the boy nodded his head. He looked around and said, "I know the girl you're looking for."

"Really?" Shane asked. The boy nodded his head and led Shane by the hand down the street. As they walked, Shane tried to not get his hopes up. As they were walking, Jin asked Shane, "You're a Shinigami, aren't you?"

Slightly surprised, Shane smiled and didn't bother to hide the truth. "What gave it away?" he asked.

The boy shrugged and said, "I don't know. I just had a feeling. But to your credit, you look like someone who came from out here."

"Well, that part is true," Shane said. The boy tightened his grip on Shane's hand and Shane gave a reassuring squeeze.

They arrived at an old hut made of old pieces of wood and tin. Shane noticed the chalk drawings on the wall and smiled.

"Hey Rin! Come out here!" Jin called out.

Shane heard rustling inside and a small girl pushed through the tattered blanket that covered the door. When she saw Shane, she became suspicious. "Who's he?" she asked.

"This guy said he was looking for you," Jin said. Rin squinted her eyes and looked Shane over. "I don't know of any grownup that's looking for me," she said and turned to go back inside.

Her words stung Shane. "So you hate grownups too?" he asked. Rin put her hands on her hips and frowned. "They are old and grumpy and don't care about anyone but themselves!" she said strongly. _She certainly has changed since that time I met her,_ Shane thought to himself. _I guess living in a place like this will do that to one so young._

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to live around here?" Rin said, raising her voice. "When I came here, I didn't know anything. I probably would have died if Jin and the others didn't find me."

Suddenly curious, Shane asked, "Do you remember anything from before you came here?"

"Of course not! No one does!" Rin shouted. She lowered her voice and added, "It's like a dream or something, but I remember something about the Real World and a monster was chasing me, and I was really scared. Then this guy showed up in a black kimono looking thing and said everything would be okay. He touched me on the head with his sword thingie and before I wake up, he tells me he'll look for me in a place called Soul Society. Then I wake up and realize that it was all just a dream." Rin hung her head and her face fell.

"If you could meet that guy in your dream again, what would you do?" Shane asked. Rin made a fist and shook it angrily. "I'd hit him really hard and tell him 'Thanks for nothing!'" Rin glanced up at him and became suspicious. "Why? What do you know?" Shane thought for a minute, then said, "I know the guy who sent you here."

Rin's eyes grew wide. "You mean that dream was real?" she asked. Shane nodded his head. Rin shook her head vigorously and became angry. "Wait a minute. Who are you? What do you want?"

Shane took off his shade and knelt down in front of Rin. "I'm the guy who sent you here," he said. Rin stared hard at Shane. The light of realization slowly began to dawn in her eyes and she slowly backed away. "How? How can that be?" she asked.

Shane sighed and said, "This is the first chance I've had to come and look for you. I've been very busy and a lot of things have been happening."

Fire suddenly erupted in Rin's eyes and she clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white. With a mighty shout, she hit Shane in the nose as hard as she could. Shane went rolling backwards, blood gushing out of his nose.

"You dirty, rotten, stinky liar!" Rin screamed at him and winced in pain, holding her hand. "You told me I was going to a place where I would be happy all the time!"

Shane sat up and tried to stop the bleeding with his clothing. "Well, I certainly had that coming, eh?" he said, smiling weakly.

Rin's chin began to quiver and tears formed in her eyes. "I looked and waited for you, but you never came." Her voice began to tremble and she started crying. "I was so scared! I don't know what to do anymore!" she sobbed.

Shane handed her a handkerchief and Rin wiped her face. "Well, now that I've found you, I have question for you," Shane said. "What?" Rin asked and blew her nose rather noisily.

"How about you come live with me at my place? What do you think about that?" Shane asked. Rin sniffed and asked, "Really?" Shane nodded his head. Rin brightened, but quickly grew sad again. "What about Jin?" she asked. Shane turned his head and saw Jin standing by himself, looking pitiful. Shane reached into his bag and pulled out an object wrapped in paper. He tossed it to Jin, who caught it and opened it up.

"If you decide to come with me, I bet you'll see Jin very soon," Shane said with a smile. Jin looked at Shane and a smile grew on his face.

"What? I don't get it," Rin pouted. Shane waved her off and said, "Gather your things and come with me." Rin dashed inside the hut and Shane could hear her rummaging around. Before long, she appeared holding a small bag made of woven grass. Shane held out his hand and Rin took it, a big smile on her face. He turned to Jin and said, "Remember what I said," Jin nodded and crinkled the empty paper in his hand. Hand in hand, Shane and Rin set off back through Soul Society.


	21. Collecting The Puzzle Pieces

The next day, Shane reported to the Squad 13 main office. Before he could enter, Kyone Kotetsu threw open the door, a wild look in her eye. Shane opened his mouth to speak, but she grabbed him and pulled him inside. "You're late!" she shouted. "Were have you been?"

"Relax," Shane said, "I just got here. What's going on?"

"The captain wants to speak to you!" she shouted and Shane cringed. "Why are you yelling this early in the morning?" he asked.

"Because you're a bum and the captain made someone like you the Lieutenant!" Kyone continued shouting. Curious onlookers were starting to stare and whisper amongst themselves. Shane waved and gave them a sheepish smile. "Are you still mad about that?" he asked Kyone. She ignored him and dragged him down the hall to Captian Ukitake's office. She threw him inside and slammed the door behind him.

"You really have a way with the ladies," Captain Ukitake chuckled.

"But I didn't do anything!" Shane pouted. Captain Ukitake motioned him forward and Shane stepped up. "How were your days off?" he asked.

"Not very relaxing and left me with a lot of time to think," Shane replied. Ukitake nodded his head and folded his hands. "I have a special mission for you," he said. Curious, Shane asked, "What is it?"

"A large, unknown spiritual aura was detected in the Real World," Ukitake said. "I want you to investigate."

Shane looked up curiously. "Is something like this really worth sending a Lieutenant?" he asked. "Can't one of the lower seats handle something like this?"

Ukitake shook his head. "The aura was graded as Captain-cass or higher. I'm sending you because we can't spare someone else of higher rank." Shane said nothing and read further. "This is in Ichigo Kurosaki's hometown. Are you sure he's not the source?" he asked.

"Our sources have lost contact with Kurosaki's particular spiritual aura," Ukitake said. Shane finished reading and looked up. "There's not a lot to go on here," he said. "Okay, I'll go take a look. I'll be back soon." Ukitake nodded his head. As Shane turned to leave, Ukitaked called out, "I hear you have a young girl staying with you." Shane stopped. "Is that a problem?" he asked.

"I have no issue. Don't let it interfere with your work," Ukitake warned. When Shane didn't say anything, Ukitake said quietly, "This girl can't replace Olivia."

"I know that," Shane said.

"Do you?" Ukitake asked. Shane sighed and turned to face the captain. "I saved her from a hollow in the Real World and before I performed the Soul Burial, I told her I'd look for her here. Is it a crime that I followed up on my word?" he asked.

"Is it a crime to make promises you can't keep?" Ukitake asked. He shook his head. "If you think this is best, then I won't say no." Shane turned and left.

Shane appeared in the Real World under the cover of darkness wearing his old SMC uniform. Crouching in a tree, he put his hands together and whispered, "New Moon Technique." His spiritual aura vanished and he became like a shadow. Without a sound, Shane moved to carry out his mission.

He stopped when he came to a park. A lone streetlight provided the only illumination. Shane reached into his shirt and pulled out several pieces of paper. He scanned through them and sighed, putting them back in his shirt. "This is going to be tough," he whispered to himself and jumped off again.

Seconds later he was kneeling on the roof of a small house, thinking about what to do next. _What should I do?_ he thought to himself.

 _Oh, the agony of choice,_ Dark Tsukuyomi teased.

 _We cannot help you with this choice, but we will support you regardless,_ Light Tsukuyomi offered.

Shane closed his eyes and cleared his mind. He made a quick gesture, removing the New Moon technique and jumped off the roof, landing gently on his feet. He pulled back his hood and mask and knocked on the door.

After a few moments, Mr. Akagi opened the door. He seemed startled to see Shane. "Oh, it's you!" he said. "What brings you here at this hour?"

After a moment's hesitation, Shane said, "May I come inside?" Mr. Akagi opened the door and motioned Shane inside. Shane walked in and Mr. Akagi shut the door behind him. "I was worried when I didn't hear from you after your friend had her incident," Mr. Akagi said, moving toward the kitchen. "How is she? Is she well?" Shane cleared his throat to break up the lump that was forming. "She's fine," he stammered. Mr. Akagi reappeared with two cups and a teapot. The sat at the table and Mr. Akagi poured the tea. "So, what brings you here at this late hour?" he asked.

Shane grasped the cup and stared into his tea. _What should I do?_ he asked himself. His eyes grew unfocused as he sat lost in thought. Frowning, Mr. Akagi reached out and put a hand on Shane's shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

His touch sent a jolt through Shane and he suddenly jerked back, spilling his tea in the process. "Aw crap," Shane said, clearly embarrassed. He looked around for something to wipe the mess up with. "Do you have a napkin or dishtowel or something?" Shane asked. Mr. Akagi stared at him with a look of confusion. "Why are you here?" he asked, growing serious.

"I came to ask about your sword," Shane said, motioning above the doorway.

"No you didn't," Mr. Akagi said tersely.

"Then I came to ask how you came here," Shane said warily.

Mr. Akagi's eyes narrowed. "Why are you so tense?" Startled, Shane said, "I'm not tense,"

"Yes you are," Mr. Akagi countered. "I can see it in your body language." He stood and stared Shane in the eye. "Tell me, why are you here."

"I'm here to take you back to the Soul Society," Shane said evenly. In his mind, he was on full alert, not knowing what to expect.

"Is that so?" Mr. Akagi said. He began circling the table to where Shane was standing. "Do you even think you can?"

Slowly, Shane started backing away. "Why are you running? Are you that afraid of an old man?" Mr. Akagi asked sternly.

"What happened? Why did you leave?" Shane asked cautiously. They had circled the table, and were now opposite from where they started. Mr. Akagi's face grimaced and Shane could see the hurt and pain in his eyes. "Is it because of your wife?" Shane asked.

"Silence!" Mr. Akagi shouted. "My reasons are my own! They have nothing to do with you!"

 _He's getting really worked up over this,_ Shane thought. _I don't want to fight him._

 _Afraid of hurting an old man?_ Dark Tsukuyomi chided. Shane ignored the comment.

"Actually, I'm not here for you specifically," Shane said. "I was sent here to investigate a suspicious spiritual aura. It was traced to this location." At this, Mr. Akagi stopped. "But why now?" he asked, clearly confused.

"That's why I wanted to know about your Soul Slayer," Shane continued. "I didn't think the source was you, since you have been hiding all this time."

"But why?" Mr. Akagi asked. Shane shook his head. He thought for a moment, then asked, "What if I take your Soul Slayer back with me? I could say I never found you, or that the sword was the source of the anomaly." At this, Mr. Akagi furiously shook his head. "I can't let you do that either," he said.

Exasperated, Shane shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "Then what do you want me to do?"

Mr. Akagi put his hands on the table and looked to the floor. He began whispering to himself. Shane leaned forward to hear what he was saying.

Suddenly, Mr. Akagi looked up and shouted, "Get out of my house!"

Surprised at the sudden outburst, Shane rocked back hand barely put his hands up in time to shield himself from a massive burst of spiritual energy. The door to the house exploded outward and Shane ended up in the middle of the street. Through the dust and splinters, Mr. Akagi appeared. He was wearing a Shinigami uniform and wielded the sword Shane had seen.

"It's been too long since I've worn these clothes," Mr. Akagi said. He stepped out into the street. "You are the first to come for me in a long time," he said.

"I didn't think Soul Society cared about Death Gods who ran away," Shane said. Unconsciously, his hands drifted to his hips and grasped his swords.

"Soul Society is afraid of my power," Mr. Akagi said. He narrowed his eyes and cocked his head at Shane. "I'm surprised they let you run around like this," he said.

Shane frowned and said, "What do you mean?"

Mr. Akagi shook his head. "They must have done a real number on you," he said. He looked back to Shane and said, "We are not so different, you and I."

Confused, Shane said nothing and watched Mr. Akagi carefully. "Back in my day, I was a master swordsman," Mr. Akagi said. "My Soul Slayer is unmatched in that respect." He grasped the grip, and slowly drew his sword. Shane's hands tightened around his own. Mr. Akagi held the blade in the palm of his free hand. "It has been so long since I have seen this sword," he said. He gently ran his fingers over the polished steel.

 _I sense a strong presence from that Soul Slayer,_ Light Tsukuyomi whispered in Shane's ear.

 _Definitely not a pushover,_ Dark Tsukuyomi agreed.

"What now?" Shane called out. Mr. Akagi turned to look at Shane. "My Soul Slayer and I request a duel," he said. Shane nodded his head. "Very well. What are the terms?"

"If you defeat me, I will tell you everything I know," Mr. Akagi said. "If I defeat you, you must return to the Soul Society and never bother me again. You are to tell them you found nothing of interest."

"What are the rules for the duel?" Shane asked.

"Swords only. No hand to hand or kido. Shikai is authorized," Mr. Akagi said.

"What about Bankai?" Shane asked. "You don't know Bankai," Mr. Akagi scoffed.

"Do you?" Shane asked. Mr. Akagi dismissed this with a wave. "It is irrelevant." He stared at Shane and asked, "Do you accept this duel?"

Shane nodded his head. "I accept your terms."

Mr. Akagi pointed his sword at Shane and gripped it with his other hand as he settled into his stance. Shane slowly pulled his swords free and held them in a back hand grip. Mr. Akagi narrowed his eyes and said, "Your sword style is unorthadox. I've never that before."

Shane shrugged and said, "Well, it works for me."


	22. Don't Touch Strange Things

Meanwhile, Rin wandered around Shane's small apartment, feeling lost and unsure of what to do. She unpacked her small bag of belongings in the room Shane had showed her and looked around.

"It's not much bigger than my other place," she noted. Curiosity won out, and she started to explore. The common area branched off into the bedrooms and a small kitchen area. A small table sat in the center of the floor with place settings for tea, and several books littered the table. A sliding door opened to a covered patio which held planter boxes filled with flowers Rin had never seen before. Another hallway lead to a room with a desk and bookshelves overflowing with books. Rin stepped inside and gazed at the many rows of books. She picked one out and saw it was a manga about a young ninja boy who harbored a terrible demon fox inside him. Rin put the book back where she found it and picked up another. It too was a manga, this one about two friends aspiring to be manga authors. Rin placed the book back on the shelf and marveled at the others. "He has a lot of books. I wonder if he's read them all?"

Rin left the study and continued her exploration. She came to Shane's bedroom and stopped. The door was cracked open and she peeked inside. The view wasn't very good, but she could make out a small desk. Rin leaned on the door to get a better look, when the door swung open, sending Rin tumbling inside. She sat up and rubbed her bruised head and looked around. The room had little in the way of furnishing. On the desk was a sword display rack and on the floor next to the desk was a bag with a sword stuck inside. Rin looked around the room and noticed nothing else of particular interest. "A plain old room for a plain old guy," she mused.

As she stood up to leave, a faint whisper sent a chill down her spine. Rin turned around and saw nothing. Still, the nagging feeling wouldn't leave her alone. Cautiously, Rin crept back into the room to investigate. As she looked around the room, her eyes settled on the sword leaning against Shane's desk. A sudden feeling came over her, telling her to pick up the sword. Rin shook her head and tried to make the strange feeling go away. "Shane might be back any minute and I don't think he'd like it if he found me snooping in his room," she said to herself.

Snapping herself out of her daze, Rin turned to leave, then stopped. She turned to look back at the sword. "What is it about that silly thing?" she asked herself and frowned. She stood there and wrestled with her indecision. Rin became angry with herself and said, "Why is that dumb old sword on the floor anyway?" She marched over and picked up the sword. With a bit of effort, she pulled the sword out of the bag.

Rin clutched the sword in her hands and wondered what to do next. At first, it had seemed so simple. Just put the sword on the desk and leave. Now that she held the sword, she hesitated. She felt the small whisper in the back of her mind, and it seemed to tell her to draw the sword. Rin looked at the sword and said, "Well, it won't hurt anything if I pull it out just a little, right?" She grasped the scabbard with one hand, and the hilt with the other. The moment Rin grasped the hilt with her hand, she was blinded by a sudden bright light and fell to the floor unconscious.

Rin opened her eyes and the first thing she saw were clouds drifting across the afternoon sky. She sat up and found herself in a large meadow that stretched as far as she could see. Panic began to settle in and Rin did her best to act bravely. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?" she called out. The only reply was the whisper of the wind through the tall grass. A lump began to well up in her throat and her eyes began to water. "Am I really alone again?" Rin asked herself quietly. She thought of Shane and her fear turned to anger. "That idiot is always making promises he can't keep!" Rin brushed herself off and looked around. "Well, anywhere is better than here," she said and began walking.

As she walked, Rin's temper cooled and she began to notice how peaceful this place was. She stopped and picked a small bouquet of daisies. She hummed to herself as she wove the stems into a circle and fixed the crown of flowers on her head. She walked a little farther, then stopped and stared up at the sun. "I don't know how long it's been, but I don't think the sun has moved at all." Rin put her hands on her hips and looked around. "This place is nice and all, but I feel a bit lonely with no one to talk too," she said.

"Oh? Whoever said you were alone?" a pleasant voice called out. Rin quickly looked around, but saw no one. Up a head in the distance, Rin saw a small cottage. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "That didn't used to be there, right?" she asked herself. Curiosity won out and she headed to the cottage.

As she drew closer, Rin noticed a path and the meadow grass was getting shorter. The cottage itself was a simple, one story room about 20 feet wide and 20 feet long that sat on short stilts. It was painted white with a clay tile roof. A thin smoke trail curled lazily out of the center of the roof. The door was open, but Rin couldn't see inside. She wasn't wearing any footwear, so she climbed the two steps and carefully peeked inside. What she saw took her breath away.

In the center of the room sat the most beautiful woman Rin had ever seen. Her kimono was gold colored with a pink obi sash tied around her waist. She wore a gold colored chrysanthemum print haori with silver trim. Her skin was very pale and her black hair reached just past her shoulders. She didn't wear any makeup that Rin could tell, but Rin didn't think she needed any. The lady smiled and Rin suddenly felt very warm inside.

"Please come in and sit," the lady said gently. "I have been expecting you."

"You have?" Rin asked. She was shocked this lady had even paid attention to her. Still hesitant, Rin carefully kneeled in front of the lady. A moment of silence passed between them, then Rin asked, "So, why are you here?"

"I live here," the lady said, spreading her arms.

"But where is _here_ exactly?" Rin asked. "The last thing I remember, I was holding a sword, then there was a bright light and I woke up here."

"You mean this?" the lady asked. Rin gasped when she saw the lady holding the sword that Rin had touched. "How-"

"That is not important right now," the lady said and Rin's questions died on her tongue. The lady gazed out the window, as if looking for something far away.

"Um," Rin asked quietly, "don't you get lonely here all by yourself?"

"Yes," the lady said sadly. "A very dear friend of mine used to visit frequently, but not anymore."

"What happened?" Rin asked. The lady sighed and a tear fell down her lovely face. "She was taken away." Rin had a guess what that meant, but didn't want to ask, for fear of making the lady even more sad. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Rin asked. "Maybe if I came to visit you?"

The lady turned to Rin and she saw the lady had tears streaming down her face. "Little girl, your kindness moves me greatly," she smiled sadly. "However, that is not something you are able to do."

Rin sat back and sighed. "This really doesn't make any sense to me," she said.

"If you must know, I have brought you here," the lady said. Rin looked up at the lady and was surprised to see her face completely dry, as if she hadn't been crying at all. "There are things happening that you do not quite understand, yet you need to be ready."

"What does that mean?" Rin asked, frowning slightly.

"Out behind this house is a small stream. You will find what you are looking for there," the lady said. Rin became even more confused. "I'm looking for something?" she asked.

"Quickly! There isn't much time!" the lady urged her and gently pushed Rin out the door. As her feet touched the grass, Rin turned around to protest, but the lady put a finger on her lips. "Shh. Just do as you are told." The lady took Rin's face in her hands and kissed her gently on the forehead. "Young child, your path ahead is dangerous and uncertain, but not impossible. Have faith, trust in yourself and be strong."

The lady drew back, leaving Rin standing alone. "Will I see you again?" she asked. The lady thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps."

Rin turned to leave when a sudden thought struck her. _I never asked the lady her name._ Rin looked back to ask her question and stopped. The house had vanished, as if it had never existed. Rin blinked rapidly and pinched herself. "Yep. That just happened," she told herself. She then heard the sound of water flowing and remembered what the lady had said. Rin found the stream and knelt by the bank. The cool water felt good on her hands, so she scooped up a handful and rubbed her face. Rin sat down and let her feet dangle in the water while she tried to figure out what to do. She lay back and stared up at the sky, watching the clouds. "How am I ever going to get out of this place?" Rin thought out loud.

 _Try asking politely?_ a voice said in her head. Rin's eyes went wide and she bolted upright, looking frantically. "Who said that?" she called out.

 _Whoa, careful there,_ the voice said again. _Just calm down a little okay?_ Despite the reassuring voice, Rin's heart was still hammering away in her ears. "Well, you seem like a decent person," she said when she had calmed down a little. "Where are you?"

 _I'm right here,_ the voice replied. Rin glanced around, still not seeing anyone. _Sorry. Look down here,_ the voice suggested. Rin's gaze traveled to her lap where she found a small salamander about six inches long looking up at her. It was black with blue spots. Rin stared at the salamander. _Hello. Nice to finally meet you._ The salamander stuck out its tongue, as if greeting her.

Rin stared at the salamander, completely unable to think of anything to say. The salamander cocked its head to the side a bit. _I'm sorry if it's a bit much._

"Well, there's something you don't see every day," Rin finally managed to say.

 _That's certainly not the reaction I would have guessed,_ the voice said. Rin sighed and rubbed her hands on her face. "I'm kinda used to crazy things happening to me," she said. The salamander studied her for a minute and said, _Your spiritual aura has a strange feel to it._

"Well, that's what happens when you live with a Death God and touch strange swords in his house," Rin said.

 _I see. That must be why I was able to show myself to you right now,_ the salamander said. Rin picked up the salamander in her hand and held it so they were eye level. "I'm not real big on lizards and slimy things, but you're kind of cute," she said. She gently touched her finger to the salamander's head. Its skin was cool and slightly clammy.

"The lady in the house said I would be looking for something by this little stream," Rin said.

 _I'd say you certainly found something,_ the salamander said. It looked to the sky, then back to Rin. _As I said before, you shouldn't have been able to see me, much less be in this place. They must have decided it couldn't wait for things to happen naturally._

"What are you talking about?" Rin asked. The salamander shook its head. _I don't have much time. Remember this place, and most of all, remember me. When the time comes, you'll understand._ Rin opened her mouth to protest, but the salamander cut her off. _Your way out is here,_ it said. Rin's body suddenly went numb and she fell back in the grass. She tried to move, but found her whole body was paralyzed. _Great. I suddenly can't move and now my eyes are going to burn up because the sun is the only thing I can see right now._ The sun grew brighter and brighter and Rin tried to squint or somehow block the light, but everything she tried failed. The light washed out everything until she couldn't see. Then she thought she heard someone calling her name. The voice grew louder until she could recognize it. _Shane? Why is he calling me?_

Rin slowly opened her eyes. Shane was leaning over her, a look of concern on his face, but he also looked tired and worn out. Rin blinked several times and tried to sit up, but Shane gently pushed her back on the floor. "Hey, just take it easy for a little bit," he said.

"What happened?" Rin asked. Shane raised an eyebrow and said, "I should ask you the same question. Rin gulped and a guilty expression crossed her face. Shane picked up a cloth and sponged cool water on her face. "When I came back, I found you passed out in my room holding that sword," he said. Rin looked away and refused to meet his gaze. "I need to know I can trust you not to get into trouble while I'm away," Shane said sternly.

"Promise you won't get mad?" Rin asked. Shane nodded. "I promise."

"Well, I was wandering around and I found your room. I peeked inside and saw the sword sitting on the floor and I wondered why it was there and not on the desk. So I picked it up. I must have fallen and hit my head or something. I don't remember anything after that," Rin said. Shane looked at her as if he didn't believe her story. _He's gonna get mad,_ Rin thought. To her surprise, Shane shrugged and helped her sit up. "Just be more careful next time," he said. Shane stood up and winced as he did so. Rin frowned. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked.

"I'm alive aren't I?" Shane smiled weakly and trudged off to the bathroom. Now it was Rin's turn to disbelieve. She carefully rose to her feet and padded off to her room, wondering what new secrets Shane was hiding.


	23. Searching For Allies

The next day, Shane was summoned to see the captain. Shane knocked on the door and Captain Ukitake motioned for him to enter. Shane shut the door behind him and stood before the captain.

"Well? What happened on your mission?" Ukitake asked. Shane hesitated and looked to his feet. "I found what was causing the disturbance," he said. Ukitake waited for him to continue. "It was a fomer shinigami who had been hiding in the Real World for the past 70 years or so."

Ukitake frowned. "If he had been hiding for so long, why reveal himself now?" he asked.

"It was his Soul Slayer that gave him away," Shane explained. "I tracked down his location. We got into a fight and I returned."

Ukitake stared at Shane intently. "I know there's more to this story," he said. Shane sighed. "While we were fighting, the former shinigami told me some very troubling things."

"Such as?" Ukitake asked.

"He said we were alike, that Soul Society was afraid of our power," Shane said.

"That is very odd," Ukitake agreed. _He knows I'm not telling him everything,_ Shane thought to himself. He wanted to confess everything, but Shane wasn't sure how the captain would take it. Frankly, Shane didn't believe it all himself, but parts of it made sense.

"Well, I'm glad you made it back safely," Ukitake said, changing the subject. "There was a meeting while you were away. It was decided that Captains Kuchiki, Zaraki, and Unohana would travel to Hueco Mundo to support Ichigo Kurosaki. At the same time, the rest of the captains, lieutenants and other strong fighters would protect Karakura Town in the Real World."

Shane thought for a moment and said, "But the _real_ Karakua Town will be transported to Soul Society and switched with a fake, using some ultra high level Kido and stuff right?"

Ukitake blinked and stared flabbergasted at Shane. He smiled and shook his head. "You continue to amaze me with your astute observation."

"Don't flatter me. It was just a guess," Shane said. He crossed his arms and added, "So what happens when Aizen comes to Soul Society to get the real Karakura Town?"

"What do you mean?" Ukitake asked.

"Don't give me that," Shane said. "All of this was part of Aizen's plan. He has neutralized Ichigo Kurosaki by trapping him in Hueco Mundo, split up the remaining captains and forced us into a last stand situation. With everyone in the Real World protecting a fake Karakura Town, all Aizen will have to do is simply get here and he's won."

"You think we didn't consider that?" Ukitake said sharply. "What more would you have us do? So far, all you've done is stated all the problems, but offered no solutions."

Shane was a little taken aback by the captain's outburst. "Look I'm sorry," he said. "Like you say, all I can do is point out the problems. I'm no good at coming up with solutions."

"In any case, everything you've said is true," Ukitake said. "I suggested we leave you behind to oversee things while we are gone. The others were...hesitant, but leaving one lieutenant-level shinigami was all I could get."

Shane frowned and said, "We still have all the lower ranked shinigami from each of the divisions, so we're not _entirely_ helpless." As Shane turned to leave, Ukitake called out to him. "Where are you going?"

"To get help. This job is too big for just me," Shane said. With that he left. Ukitake sighed and watched him leave. "I hope this isn't the last time we meet," he said.

Shane went back to his apartment and changed to his traveling clothes. This time, he kept his Soul Slayer with him by wrapping them in cloth and putting them in a bag. He set out again, leaving the Seireitei far behind. He ventured far out into the Rukongai. His destination: District 80, the farthest and most lawless district in all of Soul Society.

When he finally reached his destination, the sun was setting in the sky. The wild forest grew all around him and Shane could feel a murderous intent stalking him. He ignored it and continued on to a small clearing where a rundown hut sat next to a small stream. A solitary figure sat on the steps smoking a pipe. As Shane approached, the man looked up. "Are you here to challenge me too?" he drawled. Shane removed his straw shade. "I'm hurt you don't recognize me," he said.

The man gave him a once over and smiled. "Well I'll be. I haven't seen you for years." Shane stepped back and looked at his old friend. He still wore a Death God uniform, but it was faded, torn and patched all over. The sleeves were cut off at the shoulder and the pants ended mid-calf. His long hair looked as if he'd cut it with a knife, jagged and uneven. Cloth wraps covered his hands, forearms, and feet. His strength hadn't faded over the years and Shane massaged his hand after the greeting.

"So. What brings the 'great' Shane Akiyama to this little hellhole?" Kintaro Yorimitsu asked.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about that," Shane said, and proceeded to tell Kintaro what was happening in the world.

"Really? I must say that's quite the story," Kintaro said when Shane finished. He smiled and gave Shane a light punch on the shoulder. "You? A lieutenant now? Never would have seen that coming."

"Yeah, I know right?" Shane replied dejectedly. "Anyway, I need your help. Interested?"

Kintaro frowned. "Go back and be a Death God again? You know why I left right?" he asked.

"But this is different," Shane argued. "I just want you to stay until this is all over, then you can come back here and do whatever it is you do."

"Some favor," Kintaro grumped. "I just don't see what's in it for me."

"You rember Akuma Izu right?" Shane asked. Kintaro nodded. "She's helping Aizen and I think she's got it out for me," Shane said. "She's got a couple of Arrancar working for her."

"Are they strong?" Kintaro asked.

"You think?" Shane replied. "Might even give you a run for your money." Kintaro grinned. "I doubt that."

Shane waved him off. "Fine. Don't believe me. The only way to find out for yourself is fight one."

Kintaro stroked his chin and said, "That doesn't sound like a bad idea," he said. He stood up and walked inside his hut. When he returned, he was holding a sword. The scabbord was old and looked about to fall apart. The guard was shaped like the footprint of a wolf.

"Care for a little duel before we leave?" Kintaro asked. Shane was hesitant. "I don't know if I want to," he said.

"Oh come on," Kintaro said. "You're a lieutenant now, and one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in all Soul Society. I've been out of the game for years. This should be a breeze for you." Shane sighed and rose to his feet. Grinning excitedly, Kintaro walked to the center of the clearing and drew his Soul Slayer. The blade gleamed in the fading light. "The rest of it may look old, but the blade is sharp as ever," Kintaro said. Shane pulled his swords out of the bag and stood several feet in front of Kintaro. Kintaro rolled his neck and loosened his shoulders. "First one to land a hit wins," he said. Kintaro spread his feet apart and said, "Howl to the moon, Okami!" The blade glowed white and disappeared. On Kintaro's arms appeared cloth sleeves covered with leather and metal strips. A metal plate covered the back of the hands with a single metal strip that covered the striking surface of a closed fist. KIntaro knocked his hands together, producing sparks and a sharp _CLUNK._ "Bring it on!"

Shane sighed and drew his Soul Slayer and touched the pommels together. "Rise, Tsukuyomi." The swords glowed and merged together in their released form. "Oh man, I haven't seen that in a while," Kintaro said with a grin. Shane hefted Tsukuyomi in his hand and shrugged. He looked to the sky and pointed. "Hey, what's that?"

"Huh?" Kintaro looked in the sky where Shane was pointing. As soon as he looked, Shane quickly threw Tsukuyomi in the ground at Kintaro's feet and fired a kido spell. The kido, attracted to Tsukuyomi, exploded at Kintaro's feet.

"What? That's cheating!" Kintaro said when the smoke cleared. Shane saw he wasn't affected at all. "Doesn't matter. I win," he said.

"Huh?" A look of confusion crossed Kintaro's face. "Yeah, but..."

"You never specified what kind of attack," Shane said with a shrug. "Now get whatever it is you think you need so we can go."

"You know you didn't actually win right?" Kintaro argued. Shane rolled his eyes. "A win is still a win."

"But you cheated!" Kintaro protested.

"You never specified the rules," Shane replied. Kintaro said nothing as he went inside his hut. Tsukuyomi reverted to its sealed state and Shane sheathed his swords.

"You owe me after this," Kintaro grumbled as they walked through the woods.

"If we live that long," Shane muttered. They continued back in silence.


	24. Rally The Troops

The next day Shane discovered all the captains had departed to carry out their plan. Meanwhile, he sent messengers to the rest of the squads to have their highest ranking seat meet at the Squad 13 barracks. While waiting for the replies, Shane paced nervously through the building. Kintaro watched him go back and forth while relaxing against a wall and smoking a pipe. "You know that won't get them here any sooner," he said.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Shane waved him off and continued pacing. Kintaro shrugged and smoked his pipe in silence. There was a knock at the door and the squad representatives filed in. They took their places around a table Shane had set up, organized by squad.

"Okay," Shane said clearing his throat. "Let me start by saying-"

"The world is going to end," the 12th Squad representative interrupted.

"And we are all going to die," the 10th Squad member finished.

Shane blinked rapidly several times in surprise. "Well, that about sums it up. Sorry for wasting your time," he said and left the room. The squad members watched him leave, unsure of what to do.

"Is that the only reason he called us here?" the 2nd Squad representative asked.

"This was such a waste of time," the girl representing 5th Squad said. She leaned back in her chair and played with her hair.

Just then the door burst open and Shane re-entered. He walked to the head of the table and slammed his hands on the table, startling everyone in the room.

"You all seriously think the world is going to end?" Shane asked. No one dared to speak. Shane glared equally at everyone seated around the table. "I asked you a question!" he shouted and easily flipped the heavy table over. Several people fell out of their chairs and everyone scrambled out of the way of the table. Shane began pacing up and down the room.

"We are the Thirteen Court Guard Squads of Soul Society!" Shane roared. "What does that mean to you?" He pointed at the girl from 5th Squad. "You! What is your name?"

"Uh, Leena Nagashimi," she stammered.

"What seat are you?" Shane asked.

"Fourth seat," Leena replied.

Shane turned on another person. "You. Name, squad and seat number. Go."

"Toji Kurosawa 10th Squad third seat," he replied.

Shane merely pointed at another person. "Ichiro Sato. Fourth seat of First Squad," he replied.

"Chihiro Yamato, fifth seat of 8th squad."

Shane went around the room and made everyone say their name, seat and squad number. "And I am Shane Akiyama, 13th Squad Lieutenant," he introduced himself last. "People, look around you." Everyone glanced around at each other. "We are the defenders of Soul Society and protectors of this way of life. All the captains left to carry out their mission. It is up to us to make sure there is a Soul Society to return to."

"But all the strongest fighters went with the captains," Leena said. "How do you expect us to defend all of Soul Society with this?" she asked and gestured around the room.

"You said you are the fourth seat, correct?" Shane asked. Leena nodded her head. "How many people are in your squad?" Shane asked. Leena thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know. A lot I guess."

Shane nodded his head. "And out of everyone in the 5th squad, only the captain, lieutenant, and one other person are stronger than you." Leena looked away and said nothing.

"People, you are ranked officers for a reason," Shane said. "This is your time to step up and show the captains and lieutenants who you are and what you can do." Shane turned the table upright and placed his hands on the top. "As I said before, the captains have left Soul Society in our hands." He hesitated for a moment, then continued. "I'm not going to lie to you. This is perhaps the greatest crisis in the history of Soul Society. Souske Aizen, the former captain of Squad 5, plans to overthrow Soul Society and seat himself as the new ruler." Gasps were heard around the table.

"How does he plan to do this?" Toji asked.

"By using the spirit energy of 100,000 souls to forge the Kings Key," Shane said. "Using this Key, Aizen hopes to reach Soul Society, overthrow the King, and seat himself as the new ruler."

"So, he's trying to become God?" Chihiro asked. "Pretty much," Shane replied. "So far, the plan is this. The Kido Corps will us some high-level kido to transport Karakura Town to Soul Society and replace it with a fake. The captains hope to prevent Aizen from coming to Soul Society to forge the Kings Key."

"So why are we worried?" Ichiro asked.

"Because Aizen has an army of Hollows, led by a group of Arrancar," Shane said. At this news, everyone grew quiet.

"Are they strong?" Chihiro asked.

"Very," Shane replied.

"Like how strong?" Toji asked.

Shane thought for a moment. "Imagine if we cloned a Super Captain from the Commander General, Kenpachi Zaraki and Captain Komamura. We'd get someone with stupid crazy power right?

"Sure," Toji agreed.

"That would be nothing compared to an Arrancar," Shane said. Heavy silence filled the room. Shane could see the look in their eyes and it wasn't a very good one. "And to make matters worse, I have reason to believe that an army of Hollows, led by some lesser Arrancar, will attack Soul Society about the same time," he added.

"What?" Leena cried. She stood up, knocking her chair over. "Why do you think that is going to happen?"

"Because that's what I would do," Shane replied. "Attack your enemy with superior numbers, force your enemy to split his forces and stretch them thin, allowing you to attack from somewhere unexpected." Shane let those words sink in and nobody said anything.

"So what's the plan then?" Ichiro asked. Shane sighed. "When the Hollows attack, there will be heavy casualties. I expect many people will die and unfortunately, there's nothing we can to about that." Shane looked around the table. "I don't know how much time we have, so in the mean time, have your squads focus on training and preparation. Second and Ninth squads will be dispatched throughout Soul Society and report back on their findings. I'll have a more detailed plan set up by tomorrow."

"Are we done now?" Leena asked. Shane nodded and they silently filed out of the room, leaving Shane all alone. A thin trail of smoke wafted from the far corner. "Well, that went well," Kintaro spoke up.

"Oh shut up," Shane sighed.

"No really," Kintaro said, rising to his feet. He walked up to the table and gave a few knocks. "Flipping the table was a nice touch."

"Well, what would you have done?" Shane asked. Kintaro smiled and said, "The same thing. You got their attention and focused on the problem at hand."

"The problem is we're screwed and you know it," Shane said dejectedly. He slumped in a chair and closed his eyes.

"Better not let them hear you say that," Kintaro grinned. Shane opened an eye and said, "You're enjoying this, aren't you."

"And why not? Facing impending doom, that's when you really find out what a person is willing to fight for," Kintaro said.

"What about you?" Shane asked. "What are you fighting for?" Kintaro shrugged in reply. "Just because I asked a question doesn't mean I know the answer." Shane slapped himself in the head and sighed. "Go around to the squads and assist wherever you can."

"What about you?" Kintaro asked. Shane rose to his feet and walked to the door. "I have something to take care of." He nodded to Kintaro and left.


	25. Raising Death Flags

As Shane entered his apartment, Rin ran up to greet him. "Hey! Where have you been all day?" she asked. Shane smiled wearily and replied, "I was working." Rin made a face as if she didn't believe him. "Anyway, you promised you'd read me a story today," she said.

"I did?" Shane asked. Rin rolled her eyes and grabbed Shane by the hand, leading him to the room he had set up for her. She pushed him down on the futon and she ran out of the room to grab a book. Shane leaned back and closed his eyes. "Telling her straight out would be best," he muttered.

"Who are you telling?" Rin asked. Shane looked up and saw Rin standing impatiently in front of him. She handed him the book she selected, but Shane put the book aside and patted his lap. Frowning, Rin sat in Shane's lap and he adjusted her position so she could look at him. Rin's face became worried and she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Kind of," Shane replied.

"Did I do something wrong?" Rin asked, her voice becoming small. "I said I was sorry about the sword thing."

"No, it's not about that," Shane assured her. He sighed and said, "The world is not a nice place and there are a lot of bad people who want to do bad things."

"I know," Rin said.

"There is a very bad man who wants to come here and do very bad things," Shane explained. "He is very strong and all the people in charge are worried they won't be able to stop him."

"Why does he want to do bad things?" Rin asked. "What does he want?"

"Basically, he wants to become God," Shane said. Rin thought for a moment and asked, "How do you do that?"

"By hurting a lot of people," Shane said. "This bad man has other people who do bad things for him, and I think some of them are coming here to Soul Society."

"Can you stop them?" Rin asked. Shane looked down into his lap. "I...we are going to try our hardest." Rin leaned against him and Shane put his arm around her. "You know I'm kind of an important person here right?" he asked. Rin nodded her head. "And the bad people know I'm an important person. This means they will try and do things to make me do what they want." Shane tilted Rin's chin up so they were looking eye to eye. "Do you know what that means?"

Rin's lip quivered slightly as she said, "The bad people might come and get me."

"That's right," Shane said softly. "They will try and make me say things I don't want to say, or do things I don't want to do. They might even hurt you." Tears began to form in Rin's eyes and she grabbed Shane and held him tightly. "I...I promise to be a big girl and not cry," she stammered. Shane wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I know we haven't know each other very long, but you are special to me," Shane said.

"You saved me and took care of me when you didn't have too," Rin said. "You are special to me too, and I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Shane blinked away the tears and gently stroked her hair. "No matter what happens, I will do my best to keep you safe."

Rin looked up and said, "I love you Shane."

"I love you too sweetheart," Shane replied. "No matter what happens, no matter what I might say, I want you to know in your heart I love you." Rin buried her face in his chest and began to sob. Shane held her gently in his arms and thought about Olivia. _Is this the right thing? I feel like I've sentenced her to a lifetime of pain and agony. I wish you were here right now. I miss you so much._

When Rin stopped crying, Shane said, "I have something for you," Rin dried her eyes with her hands. "What is it?" she asked. Shane reached into his uniform and pulled out a small dagger. "This is called a tanto. It's a small dagger used when you can't carry a big sword." He held it out and Rin took it. The dagger had no hand wrap or guard. The hilt and sheath were made of a dark colored wood polished to a high gloss. Rin gripped the dagger and the blade pulled easily. She admired her reflection in the six inch blade. "Is it sharp?" she asked.

"Very," Shane said.

"Can you teach me to use it?" she asked and Shane nodded his head. "I want you to be able to defend yourself, but I don't know how much time I'll have to teach you properly." Shane snapped his fingers as he suddenly remembered. "I have something else for you too," he said and dug around in his uniform. Rin watched curiously as Shane patted himself down and searched for the missing item. He finally pulled out a small folding fan and handed it to her.

"What's this?" Rin asked.

"A fan silly," Shane replied. Rin carefully opened the fan. The segments were polished ebony and the light blue paper had a black dragon pattern. Rin opened and closed the fan several times and waved it around.

"Did you know you can fight with a fan?" Shane asked. Rin looked at him skeptically. "How do you fight with something like this?" she asked.

"Some fans are made out of metal and open and close like normal fans. They have sharp spikes and razor edges. Plus, you can hit people with it closed," Shane said. "But people mostly use them for cooling themselves on hot days, or use them in dances."

"Do you know how to dance with a fan?" Rin asked. Shane smiled and shook his head. "I've seen it done, but I'm not a very good dancer." Rin looked at her gifts and smiled. "Thank you very much!" She jumped up and ran around the room fighting invisible enemies. Shane chuckled to himself at her antics. "Okay you crazy woman, come here so I can read you a story." Rin settled back into Shane's lap and he started reading. Before long, Rin was asleep. Shane tucked her in and turned out the light before leaving her room.


End file.
